


that which is alive

by Strigimorphaes



Category: RWBY
Genre: Blood, Eventual Romance, Illustrations, M/M, Mild Gore, Post-Apocalypse, Zombie AU, Zombies, kind of illustrated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-12-19
Packaged: 2018-02-22 14:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2511404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strigimorphaes/pseuds/Strigimorphaes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zombie AU.<br/>When Neptune meets Sun and takes him to a safe camp full of other survivors, Sun expects his life to become easier. But nothing is as it seems - Sun has much to learn about the truth of the zombie outbreak, the people who survived it and even his own emotions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A chance meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I wish someone over at RWBY would give Scarlet and Sage some screentime so I could actually write fic with them in it.  
> Also: titles are hard... Enjoy.

Sun was tired and thirsty, but the wasteland that had once been a medium-sized american town offered no relief. He gripped his staff tighter until his knuckles were white. Danger could be anywhere in the shadows between the abandoned houses and looted convenience stores.

It was a long time after the outbreak.

Just as he had decided to try his chances in a nearby store that still seemed relatively undisturbed, Sun heard a noise behind him. It took him mere moments to react, turning around and drawing his gun in one smooth motion. The smell alone had given it away, so he was not surprised when he saw one of the creatures that roamed the empty streets. Some called them walkers, other called them infected - some argued that they were products of magic, others that it had been a disease that created them. Some claimed it had been an act of god. In fact, it sometimes felt like the only thing people could agree on was that you had to run away from them.

Sun wasn't running this time. He knew what they were, and he knew he could handle one solitary zombie.

Sun pointed his shotgun straight at the thing's head and pressed the trigger without hesitation. It was easy when you didn't know who they had been before. This one was a woman with only one eye and half her scalp missing, and she fell to the floor in a sad heap. Sun didn't waste time looking around; he knew the sound would doubtlessly attract more of them. 

After locating a building he'd be able to scale, he began climbing up the facade, grabbing hold where he could. He pulled himself up onto the roof with ease - he had been climbing around and going places he wasn't supposed to for years even before the outbreak, and it had certainly come in handy afterwards. From this new vantage point he could see the crowd of zombies gathering down on the street. Their moans and groans had been the constant soundtrack to Sun's life after he left the smoking remains of his hometown behind, and he was _almost_ able to ignore them as he ran from rooftop to rooftop, using a combination of his staff and pure momentum to make the otherwise difficult jumps. He could see the town expanding in every direction around him, small houses and large malls, shops and streets all empty, all dirty and painted with graffiti and guts. A church stood out amidst the other buildings, and Sun stopped on its roof. The sounds of the zombies grew quieter as the few that had spotted him gave up the chase down in the street, and soon it would be safe enough for Sun to venture down one last time before sunset in search of food or water. His throat was dry as parchment. He considered his chances in this dried-out husk of a town and didn't like them. If he saw no change tomorrow, he'd have to go on towards another place to another scavening mission, drifting ever onwards. His bag was empty and he carried no compass.

He was pulled away from his thoughts when a voice cried out somewhere down on the ground.

"Hey, up there!" It was a male voice, not old. Loud. Sun did not dare to hope for anything, having seen more cruel than kind people. He waited before he answered, inching closer to the edge of the roof to get a good look at the speaker. Laying down on his stomach to peek out over the edge he saw a young man - his age or not much older - sticking out like a sore thumb with his blue hair amidst the grey and brown tones of the backdrop. The man was running very quicky.

The man was being chased by a mob of zombies.

He was armed with a gun of some kind, but it didn't look like any other weapon Sun had seen – it looked like it was made of scrap, rough and boxy, but Sun was too far away to tell the exact details.

Rather than to stand still and watch the poor guy being devoured, Sun he loaded his gun, counting the bullets he before he responded:

"Yeah, what?!"

"What do you think?!" the man yelled, "Help!"

Sun stood up, and the two of them looked at each other for a brief moment. Sun saw shaky legs and loss of breath. He figured his own appearance would have taken the stranger's breath away in a different way if they had met at a different time - Sun cocked his shotgun and leant forwards over the edge again.

"These things-" the man continued,

"Those things that are attracted to sounds that we are yelling about?" Sun asked. "Sure, I'll help you out!"

With that, Sun leapt down in a way that he hoped looked impressive. All he knew was that he at least landed perfectly, rolling and jumping back onto his feet. The blue-haired man caught up to him quickly, and Sun felt very heroic until he saw that he, too, was being chased by the mob now. There were about fifteen and that meant he hadn't thought the plan entirely through.

He saw the horde headed right for them. The zombies were all in varying states of decay but somehow able to run when motivated by the sight of fresh meat. He and the stranger were in an open street, so running was still an option, but he feared that they could be outrun - the stranger was in no shape to go much further. He turned towards the stranger, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Name's Sun," he said. "Are we staying and fighting? Or..."

"Neptune." The man stopped and pointed his weapon at the zombies pursuing them. "I can't take them on my own. But we can together," He looked at Sun's shotgun. "If you know how to use that thing."

"I can use it alright!" Sun smirked and fired straight into the mass of writhing bodies. The shot made one zombie bite the dust, but two more followed after. The next shot missed, but then he saw the zombie fall down anyway. Out of the corner of his eye, his saw Neptune shake from recoil.

Not wanting to be outdone (and unable to afford to spend any more bullets) Sun put the gun away and leapt into battle with his staff at the ready instead. He was confident in his abilty to bash in skulls with its  ends, spinning and jumping too quickly for the creature's slow brains to handle. He was doing his best to make it look easy when he was suddenly surrounded - the mob had collapsed on him far quicker than he had thought possible, how could there be so many-

"Shit," he muttered, but nobody heard it except for him. Nobody _could_ when the sound of a gun being fired rang out, when Neptune flashed Sun a smile and hit the next one between the eyes.

From there on out, Sun did his best to make the creatures easy targets for Neptune's gun even as his limbs ached from the day's climbing and running already. It was not the worst fight he had been in, but it was certainly in the top ten, a seemingly endless amount of claws and teeth mere inches away from him at all times. A scratch could mean infection or death, so he was thankful for the length of his staff. He strafed left, jumped right, aimed for an exposed stomach and sent its contents spilling over the asphalt. A shot went off behind him; a zombie toppled over. Occasionally, Sun did feel in danger of being shot at, but he was unharmed when the four last zombies hissed and began slinking away, stepping over their fallen as they went back into the shadows. It was unusual for them - both the numbers and the behaviour. Sun had never seen so many together before, nor had he seen zombies with the intelligence to flee. He looked himself over, seeing no scratches, no bites, only tears in his jacket.

He did not know why he was so eager to endanger himself by helping the stranger. Maybe it was seeing another teenager after all that time, or maybe it was seeing the first friendly face in three weeks. Maybe it was the way one of Neptunes bullets burrowed itself inside the brain of the zombie that had been just about to sink it's teeth into Sun's arm. Lots of possibilities.

Sun looked from the corpses to Neptune. "Teamwork, I guess," he said. "That and good ol' martial arts."

Neptune shrugged, but Sun thought he looked impressed. How couldn't he be?

"We should get moving," Neptune said, "this way."

Sun would have asked if that was all the thanks he'd get, but he decided against it. It was best to thread lightly until he knew what kind of person he was talking to. Instead, Sun put away his gun as Neptune did the same. He had met survivors who never went anywhere without weapons in their hands, and he was glad that Neptune wasn't one of them.  Neptune began walking, slowly, and Sun decided to follow him, feeling that he had earned some kind of explanation for his efforts.

"So who are you?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Neptune said. 

"Go ahead. Info for info, right?" That was how it usually worked. Sun did his best to relax his shoulders as they walked, still tense from the battle.

"Okay. Um...." Neptune's eyes darted around the streets, looking for... something, Sun didn't know. ”How'd you get up there?”

"I climbed."

"No, how'd you get into town."

"I walked."

"Alone? That's strange."

”How so?”

 ”It's just that our town's been completely cut off for the past months. No communications. No people.” Neptune glanced around a corner. "But maybe, if anyone can come through, it's you. You look capable of protecting yourself." 

"No wonder nobody's getting through. You have, like, twenty times more zombies around the perimeter than any other place I've been."

"And how many places have you been?"

"...Four towns by now, I think," Sun said. "Don't look at me like that, it's really not the awesome. But you mentioned 'our town'. Are there others? Live people, I mean."

"Yeah." Neptune's face became serious very suddenly.

"How many?"

"...Some forty people, I think. We have a small secured zone a little walk away. "

"In the middle of all _this_? Why not just skip town?"

"Our leader dosen't believe in that."

"Huh." Images flashed in Sun's mind - he imagined some drab survivor camp like the ones they had had in bad movies before the outbreak. Ragged tents by oildrum fires, a mad dictator with day-old stubble and a machine gun in his hand. But Sun also thought that if worst came to worst, he could always jump over every fence they put around him. He was willing to risk a lot to see other living people. "Wait, am I going with you to that place? Just like that?"

"I think that's fair. Thanks for the help."

"You're welcome, I guess?" Sun tried to figure out where they were going, but he had only just arrived in the town a day ago. Now knowing was scary, but he did no think that Neptune would lead him to a trap. He was too friendly for that.

"So you're doing well enough for yourself to handle another survivor? No shortage of food?"

"It's as good as it gets, I think. And we have the room, if you're able to pull your weight. Our leader," Neptune said, ”specifically asked us to recruit anyone strong enough to get to us.”

"Naturally. Reminds me, why are you out here alone?"

"Reconnaissance." Neptune pronounced the word carefully. "We usually go in pairs."

"Let me guess. You-"

"Thought I could handle it. Yeah." Neptune's face was a little red. It contrasted wierdy with the colour of his hair and clothes, but most of all it made him look alive. Sun liked alive. "I'm looking for where the walkers are most active, trying to find other survivors, looking for stuff... and testing out a personal project of mine."

"That thing?" Sun gestured towards Neptunes gun.

"Yeah." Neptune made no effort to hide his pride. "I make stuff."

"It looks pretty cool actually."

"It's more than just pretty cool. It's awesome." He paused a short moment before adding, "I'm awesome."

"I take it back," Sun joked. "It's not that cool and you're annoying."

Neptune did not have time to respond as he went silent when they came to the end of the street. Here, a barricade had been errected between the houses on either side. Broken furniture, overturned cars, metal sheets and wire prevented entry except for at a hastily constructed, but heavily fortified gate off to the side. Someone had written a sign and taped it to the barbed wire that made out most of the gate. "NO ENTRY!" it said. Below it, someone had scrawled an almost illegible message with spray paint, the only words Sun could make out being " _NO CURE_ ", " _end of days_ " and similar, often misspelled, grafitti. None of it made much sense to him.

Neptune strolled up to the gate first, pulling a string fastened to a wooden pole. The action must have made alarms or some kind of other signal go off in the camp, because a man appeared, barely visible through the mix of construction materials, to open the gate. It screeched on its rusty hinges.

Behind the fence was the largest gathering of living people Sun had seen after the outbreak. The fenced-in area contained a rust-red building that might have been some sort of school, complete with an unused asphalt basketball court. In addition to that, there were two trailers and a beat-up, broken bus parked on the street alongside several stalled cars. Glancing in through the windows, Sun guessed that the vehicles had been slept in. The area wasn't very large; Sun could see it in its entirety from where he stood. But what he saw was a shock to his senses: men and women were walking about carrying sacks and building materials, working together to fix a breach in their barricade. Others were going to and from the school and yet others had to be inside it.

"Home sweet home," Neptune said. Sun eagerly followed him as he walked down towards the school building. His head was buzzing just from hearing the sound of humans all around him - footsteps, heartbeats, voices... "Our beacon of hope."

"You've got it nice here," Sun said, stepping over a stray bit of barbed wire. "Other survivors are huddled up in small houses or under bridges. You've got a school."

"I'm glad you like it." Neptune waved to a girl passing them by. Her hair was almost as unusual as his: white as snow. She was armed with a fencing sword instead of a gun, which Sun thought was strange, but Neptune seemed used to it. "By the way," Neptune said, "There's a thing we have to do. Just a formality, I promise. Not scary at all. Tiny thing."

Sun supressed a desire to sigh loudly. There was always a catch.

"I said you'd be able to stay with us if you wanted, but I don't really _have_ that kind of authority to _decide_ that..."

"So we're gonna meet the boss," Sun said.

"You got it."

The words "HIGH SCHOOL" were carved over the school's entrance. Behind the heavy double doors, the air was stale and still tinged with a faint smell of blood - or maybe that was just Sun's imagination. The electric lights had seen better days, constantly flickering and threatening to stop working entirely. Most of the doors were open, but some of them were torn off their hinges and were still lying around in the hallway. Sun saw classrooms made into improvised sleeping areas with sleeping bags and piles of cloth and blankets on the floor. Other rooms had been made useless during the outbreak - the computer lab and server room had been smashed to pieces, as had most of the library although someone had begun cleaning it up. Sun did his best to not imagine kids covering under the desks or running down the hallways, but it was hard not to. Neptune seemed to know the place very well, guiding Sun effortslessly through the facility until they arrived at a single, closed door.

"The headmaster's office," Sun said dryly, "Of course."

Neptune didn't comment. He just opened the door and gave Sun a small push. The contact, incredibly brief as it was, between Neptune's hand and Sun's back was the first time he had been touched by another human for days (if not weeks), and it startled him more than he'd care to admit. He concentrated on finding his calm again as soon as the door closed behind him, thankful that he had been allowed to keep his weapons.

Not that he thought weapons would be an awful lot of help against this boss.

Sun had, on two seperate occasions, seen people acting as leaders for their particular brand of desperate, scared survivors, and both times they had been violent, armed men. Their voices had been loud and their actions aggresive - predictable - but this man was stoic and still. He had yet to say a word, but his gaze was penetrating. He carried no weapon that Sun could see. He was wearing a well-kept suit jacket and a green shirt, not a torn t-shirt. He could have been the headmaster back when the school was still running and nobody would have batted an eye.

"My name is Ozpin," he said, leaning forward over a maghoni desk covered in spreadsheets and maps. "And you are...?"

"Sun Wukong. I was picked up by-"

"Neptune, yes." Ozpin gestured towards an empty chair in front of the desk. "I know him. Won't you take a seat?"

With that, Ozpin went back to looking over his papers. He took his time, leafing carefully through reports of some sort, leaving Sun on the brink of wondering if he had been forgotten. He sat down in the soft chair and tried to read some of the things on the table, but the print was too small and it was all upside down. Then he looked around the room for a while, noticing how much cleaner it was than the rest of the camp. Broken clocks were laid out in a pile on a filing cabinet in the corner, and Sun wondered if they were being thrown out or fixed.

"So?" Sun finally asked, aware that he was sounding impatient, "Do I get to stay?"

"It wouldn't be morally right to deny you safety in these times."

"Most people don't give a shit about morals in these times - pardon my language."

"Even so, you look like you could be an asset to our group here. Just the fact that you made it this far on your own is pretty good." He looked Sun directly in the eyes. "It's swarming out there, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

He sighed softly. "That's how the times are. You're on board. We can always use another hunter. Talk to Neptune, make sure he gets you sorted out."

With that, the conversation was over. Ozpin resumed acting like Sun wasn't in the room, and Sun didn't mind getting out of the office and its cramped atmosphere. It felt too much like detention, which was one thing Sun was glad that the apocalypse had done away with. Neptune was still lingering outside the door.

"See?" he said, "Ozpin's nice like that."

"It feels like he's running a military operation instead of a... whatever this is."

Neptune shrugged. "He used to be in the military or something. Don't know the details. Let's move while we talk, okay?"

Again Sun let Neptune guide him to whereever he wanted, though he kept observing the routes they took so that he would be able to find his way on his own later. 

"He was the first to identify what was going on at the start of all this. He just... knew how to be in charge. It wasn't easy. It took a while for everyone to work together, but he's been good at predicting where to find medicine and other supplies, and he's pretty fair, so..."

"I got the impression that he's a bit... looney, you know?"

"He is," Neptune said. "You still want to stay?"

Sun considered his answer for a while. "Maybe. I like being around people. But I've also remembered that I also kind of don't like to be around people." He left the last part unsaid: I don't know if I can trust you all. 

"I hope you get that sorted out," Neptune remarked.

Sun decided to change the subject, "Ozpin talked about hunters. Are we talking zombie hunters or...?"

"We have some people whose job it is to go out and find food and supplies and look for survivors. That kind of stuff. Dangerous work."

"So that's us. Dosen't sound too bad. I've been doing that already."

"Yeah," Neptune's voice was suddenly very sombre. "But wait until you see the turnover rate."

They walked in silence for the next few minutes as Neptune led Sun past more rooms and ruin. Sun noticed one door closed with an out-of-place padlock that seemed strangely new amidst all the old rubble. "What that?" he asked, but Neptune shook his head.

"Not right now. We're headed for room B23. I figure you... want to know where I sleep."

"That dosen't sound right."

"You know what I mean." Sun could have sworn that a blush had crept onto Neptune's face. "So you know where to find me. Maybe you want to sleep there too."

"Sleep with you?"

"Yeah. Wait - No!"

Sun laughed for the first time in a long while at the sight of Neptunes face. There was no doubt that he was flustered now. "Don't worry. I think we've arrived, by the way."

"Oh?" Neptune looked up at the sign on the wall and stopped. "We are."

High windows let the pale sunlight in, and Sun could see birds sitting on the worn benches outside. He wondered if it got cold in the winter. It certainly looked that way when the room were mostly empty and the floor was mostly bare save for a few improvised sleeping spaces.  The desks had all been pushed up against the walls to make space for bags and beds. Nobody was there except for the two of them. 

"Why are so many people sleeping in here?" Sun asked, staring out at all the things on the floor. "There are so many empty rooms."

"I guess it feels safer than being alone," Neptune answered, sauntering over to his bed. He had secured a corner for himself on the far side of the room. A sleeping bag and a blanket made up a nest beneath a window and a few personal belongings - a bag, a few tools and some clothing - were stashed on the windowsill. And then there were the books, scattered about but obviously in some kind of system that Sun just hadn't figured out yer. Nobody else were in the room although Sun could imagine how crowded it would be at night. Neptune sat down on his sleeping bag, but Sun was content with standing, leaning against the blackboard.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to find a more quiet place to sleep." Sun crossed his arms.

"Go ahead. Now you know where to find me." Neptune grabbed his blanket and threw it at Sun without warning. Sun caught it, but was left staring at the cloth in his hands. "Take this," Neptune said.

"...You're just going to give it to me?" The gesture was utterly strange to Sun - there was no way blankets weren't valuable.

"You can give it back to me once you find somethig to keep yourself warm with." Neptune laid his head back when a sunbeam shone through the window, and Sun figured he was soaking in the warmth. The action made Sun stare at Neptune's jawline and the way his eyelashes fluttered when he closed his eyes - but Sun tore his eyes away and forced his mind back on track.

"What's going to happen tomorrow?" he asked.

"I'm in good shape," Neptune said without opening his eyes. "I'm probably going out again. But we can still hang out. Kind of."

"I'd like to have a look around tomorrow," Sun said. "Maybe we'll run into each other."

"If you're going to look around, I suggest you start tonight down at the cafeteria... Or whatever's left of it. The rest of us have gotten our daily rations already, but you should be able to get something if you mention Ozpin is okay with it. Look for a woman named Peach."

"Got it." The thought of food made Sun's stomach growl, and he was almost at the door before he turned around. "Thanks, Neptune."

Neptune looked at Sun and gave him a friendly smile. "See you around."

-

When night came, Sun had a full stomach and a safe place to sleep.

The only real problem he had at the moment was the bad feeling in his stomach still telling him that something was wrong. 

He pulled the blanket tighter around himself and listened to the distant sounds of people shuffeling down the halls. He had found a small, unused room that might once have been a secretary's office or some kind of archive, but now there were no furniture but an old cabinet in the corner. He wouldn't have been able to sleep well in one of the other crowded rooms - the fear of zombies had a lot to do with the fear of other people, he realized. Even though it was hardly a soft bed he had found, he was better off than he had been in a long while. He had a source of food. Safety. _People_ , and one person in particular who seemed interested in being friends or... something. 

Sun decided that he could at least enjoy it for as long as it lasted.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic wil update on fri- or saturdays.


	2. Friends and enemies

Sun woke up to the sound of rain. He waited before opening his eyes, relishing in the sound of the drops hitting the roof and ratteling down the drain pipes outside the windows. He had slept too many times only to feel cold water on his face first thing in the morning - and he had spent too many nights not sleeping at all, just watching the dark clouds move closer. It was just better to sleep under the roof than on it, not having to worry about zombies and all the other things in the night. For a while he just laid there, feeling the warmth surround him. (In the back of his mind, he noticed another thing surrounding him, too: the smell of someone else.)

Without moving, he finally opened his eyes. Both outside and inside, the world was covered in grey light.

He threw aside the blanket and sat up slowly, trying to locate his few belongings. His bag was where he left it, and now he felt a bit stupid for leaving it out in the open. His clothes, a torch, a few matches and some bullets were all he had to his name, but he would not have been surprised if anything was missing. Yet after taking inventory he found that nothing had been stolen.  
He changed into the cleanest shirt he had (which still wasn't very clean) and stowed his bag so that it was out of sight. Leaving the small room behind, he ventured out into the rest of the school building. As he walked, he saw no other people save for an old man laying on a cot not unlike the one Sun had slept in, and the sight of all the empty sleeping spots made Sun wonder where the survivors placed their sick and dying. Were they organised enough to have a seperate place to stow the infected, or did they just put bullets in them? Sun hoped he wouldn't have to find out. But he _did_ want to figure out where everyone had gone, and that was not hard to uncover.

As soon as he closed the main doors behind him and stepped outside, he saw activity everywhere around him. People were carrying pots and containers of every size and even setting up improvised stills in order to collect the rainwater. Sun, who remembered the taste of the water he had been drinking last night just as vividly as its yellow colour, decided he might as well help out getting them something cleaner to drink. While most of the survivors seemed somewhat rough around the edges if not downright ragged and weak, most were able to carry on well enough. When Sun spotted a pair of girls having trouble with a large metal basin already filled with water, the problem was not caused by a lack of strength, but by the youngest of the two being distracted by something in the tufts of grass that had pushed through the sidewalk. He noticed the girls because of their colour: the youngest wore a red raincoat that made her stand out amidst the greys and blacks of the backdrop, just as her companion's blonde hair and bright yellow clothing made her look just a bit out of the ordinary.

"Ruby! You can't just _leave_ like that! This thing is... _ugh_... heavy!" The blonde yelled as she struggled with the basin. Sun approached her, flashing her a smile as he grabbed the other side of it, noticing that it was already filled to the brim.

"Can I lend you a hand?" he offered.

She raised a single eyebrow before sighing and nodding. "Thanks. We're supposed to get this mess to the mess hall - that's this way, over here..."

The walk to the hall in question was difficult, but they managed not to spill a drop of the precious fresh water. When they finally placed the basin on the floor and straightend their backs again, the black-haired, smaller girl had caught up to them. The blonde held out her hand to Sun, and it took Sun a moment to figure out that she expected a handshake. When he reached out as well, she gripped him very firmly, surprising him with her strength. They stood eye to eye, and it felt good to stand there and be proud of what they had accomplished even though it was but a drop in a figurative ocean.

"I'm Yang," the blonde said, "And this here is Ruby, my useless little sister."

" _Hey_!" Ruby exclaimed, crossing her arms. "There was a very tiny bird about to be trampled. It needed to be brought to safety."

Yang giggled. "I'm just kidding." She turned to Sun again and stretched har arms over her head. "What a morning, huh... Already up and about. Are you new? I don't think I've seen you around before."

"I'm Sun."

"Did you just find your way here by yourself?"

"A dude called Neptune found me. Or, I found him. Stuff happened."

"Neptune... Blue hair, yea high, bit of a flirt?" Yang asked, marking something sort of like Neptune's height with her hand.

"Sounds about right. Didn't know about the last part, though."

Yang rubbed her temples in an exagerrated parody of a headache. "Dude wasted hours on Weiss before he got it into his skull that she's not interested... At least I think he understood. Wait, speak of the devil..."  
Sun turned around half expecting to see Neptune, but instead he saw a girl in white. He knew he had passed by her once before, but only now did he notice the fresh scar on her face, going down over her right eye.

"Weiss, meet Sun. Sun, meet Weiss," Yang said. Weiss just gave Sun a _look_ that made him uneasy and placed her hands on her hips. Sun knew bossy when he saw it. "Then Blake should be right along, right?" Yang continued - and true to her words, a girl appeared behind Weiss mere moments later, although it was hard to see her when her black clothing made her blend into the shadows.  
She greeted Sun with a small nod.

"So are you hunters or what?" Sun asked.

"We're a team," Ruby said.

"Not by choice, though-" Weiss interjected.  
Yang laid a gloved hand on Weiss' shoulder. "What she's trying to say is: Yes, we are a team of hunters. We probably found the blanket you slept on tonight. And we should probably get back to it as soon as the rain stops. But for now, let's see if anyone needs more help out there, alright, girls?"

The rest of her team nodded and soon the group was headed outdoors again. Sun followed them. He had a question on his mind.

"Why a team?"

Ruby looked at him like he was stupid, a chipper look on her face. "Safety in numbers."

"It's easier," Blake chimed in. "Besides, we never go out alone."

Before Sun could question the rule, they passed by another group carrying water. They almost collided, and the disturbance set the conversation off it's track as well.

"Are we going west when we get out today?" Weiss asked, "Because I think we should look into that place we found-"

"We're NOT going back there," Yang said. "I mean, I'm not the captain but I think we can all agree that it's safer not to."

Sun's interest was piqued. "What place?" he asked, weawing his way through a group of survivors, trying to keep up with Ruby and her companions.

"We found some sort of facility out west. Might've been a goverment building," Yang explained nonchalantly. "There was a bunch of trash and metal outside and a HUGE barbed wire fence. I think I saw medicine and stuff inside, but it was getting late and there were a ton of warning signs outside."

"You were scared of signs?" Sun asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Blake shook her head. "It was worse than Yang makes it sound. It looked really serious. Goverment stuff."

Yang nodded solemnly.

"I still think the risks will outweigh the rewards," Weiss said. "We've got people in desperate need of medicine and I _swear_ I saw some in there. It was some kind of pharmacological plant. I should know, my father-"

"Used to be the king of medicine manufacturing. We know, Weiss. But we've not saved our lifes to risk them with barbed wire, strange chemicals and zombies," Blake retorted.

Weiss scowled, but let the subject rest.

Outside, the rain was slowly coming to a halt, but there was still moisture in the air. Everything was cool and damp as a mist descended on the land. Above them there was only grey.

"Any of you know where I might find Neptune?" Sun asked.

Weiss just pointed up towards an area west of the school bulding. "Good luck with him."

"If you need any help, you can just ask around for us, Sun," Yang said. "Unless you've already got your guide..."

"Maybe I can help you out sometime," Sun offered, showing off his staff as he spoke.

"With that? Please," Ruby said. With one swift movement, she detached the weapon that had been hanging off of her belt. Unfolded, it was some kind of sniper rifle that had been modified to hell and back to be able to collapse. She had fitted some kind of blade to it as well, and even though Sun could not fathom how one would handle the gun without slicing several fingers off, Ruby seemed very proud of it. "Designed it myself," she said.

Sun had no words except for, "That's... quite a thing."

"I call it Crescent Rose."

"I call it awesome, but impractical," Yang said. "But don't get her started. If given the chance, she'll talk about weapons _all_ day."

"Then I guess I should be off now," Sun said.

"See you around, then." Yang even waved to Sun as he, a little energized from the encounter, began walking in the general direction Weiss had pointed out for him.

It still wasn't easy moving around between the people going to and from whatever tasks they all had to accomplish. Sun saw himself surrounded by a broad mix of races and ages - zombies did not discriminate. But in the sea of brown, black and blonde, there was nobody with blue hair except Neptune, whom Sun found standing in something that resembled an open shed - or at least a rough sketch of one, made of tarp draped over a construction of wooden and metal poles and leaning against a wall. There was a small worktable covered in dust, both sawdust and metal, and various mechanic parts were scattered about. Neptune was working on his gun, tinkering with its trigger mechanism. As Sun approached, his shadow caused Neptune to look up. A few droplets of water made their way from his hairline down over his face. He smiled.

"Hey, Sun. I'd offer you a seat, but..."

"It's fine." Sun saw no chairs, so instead he leaned against the work table.

"Slept well?"

"Really well. Like, compared to usually."

"That's great, then." And Neptune actually managed to sound like it mattered to him.

"Yeah," was all Sun said in response.

Neptune ran an oil-stained hand through his hair. "...I'm just working on some stuff, don't mind that," he explained.

He then looked back down at his gun, but he kept talking to Sun who didn't mind being allowed to just watch him work. And it was quite a sight - Neptune's fingers were quick and precise as they fixed small, intriate mechanisms and oiled up springs and coils. He had a book open on the table and consulted it often, leaving black oil imprints on the pages.

"I met Yang and some of her friends. I think they know you. This girl named Weiss does, at least."

"We know each other." There was a slight blush on Neptune's face. "What did you think of them?"

Sun picked up a stray piece of wood the size of his thumb from the table. Rainwater had made it soft enough that he could dig his nails into it and pick it apart, running his fingers over it and feeling the rough texture as he did so. "They seem like nice people. They didn't strike me as the best hunters, though..."

"Because they're girls?"

"No, no. Just... there was a bit of bickering. Stuff like that."

"Wait 'till you've seen them in action. Everything's so coordinated." He sounded impressed, and Sun found himself a little convinced.

"They're going out today. You talked about going outside, too."  
Neptune looked up and shifted on the chair so that he could look at Sun. "Yeah, I'm planning another trip, but a careful one this time. Yang asked me to find-"

"Can I come with?"

"...You know what? Sure." Neptune scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly. "That'd be... great. We could go... places. Do things. Eh." He collected himself and pushed his half-assembled gun to the side with a quick, decisive motion, clearing some space on the table. "Before you go out, would you like me to have a look at your shotgun?"

Sun didn't answer.

"I'd just see if there was anything I could do to make it more practical. I could enlist Ruby..."

"...I saw 'Cresent Rose'. I'm not sure if I want her around my stuff to be honest." Sun watched as Neptune packed his various bits and pieces into a small bag. "Is it a hobby of yours? Making weapons?" he continued.

"Not large-scale. That's all Ruby. But I like making small modifications."

"Well," Sun said, "I appreciate the offer, but..." But I'd feel naked without my weapon, he wanted to say.

Neptune just laughed it of. "Your loss," he said. "Shall we meet in... half an hour? An hour?"

"Half an hour's fine," Sun answered.

"You got anything to do?"

Sun shook his head. "Not really."

"You should check out the school library," Neptune said. "Most of the books are in fine condition. Just ignore the smell. There is plenty of time for learning."

"You're a scholar, then?"

"Absolutely."

"Nerd."

Sun left, though not before seeing Neptune's smug smile when he looked back over his shoulder. He couldn't deny, however, that he was looking forward to fighting together again.

  
During the thirty minutes, Sun's first priority was to find a spot where he could get an easy bird's eye view of the camp. The roof of the school would have done nicely for that if it wasn't for the fact that every ledge and inch of wall had been made slippery by the rain. He dared not climb - he was brave, not foolish. Most of the time, at least. And so, he had to settle for a window on the second floor. He wished there were more than two floors in the building as he sat on the window sill, learning against the glass.

He watched Ruby's team depart. They were no longer chatting or joking, but still acting like venturing outside in spite of the dangers that awaited there was a completely routine, normal thing to do. Sun thought that he had found quite a strange place. He also hoped that nothing bad would happen to them: he found them more interesting than many others he had met. Becoming friends with them did not seem like a terrible prospect. Lost in such thoughts, he didn't hear the door behind him opening - but he could not overhear the shout from the person who had suddenly barged in.

"What're you doing here, idiot?!"

"Excuse me?" Sun said. He stood up immiediatly to face the intruder.

The person was male and had reddish-brown hair that matched the reddish-brown stains on his clothes. Someone, maybe himself, had drawn a bird on his t-shirt, but the end result looked dissapointing and sad. Not that that put a damper on his attitude. "This. Is. My. Room." he said.

"Whoa, there. Calm down."

The man crossed his arms. "Everyone knows about my place. Were you stealing?"

"I didn't even notice your stash, alright? And I don't steal from other people like that, _asshole."_ He and the man stared each other down. "I'm leaving." Sun finally said. He was almost out of the room, more irate than sad about having to vacate his spot, when a hand was laid on his shoulder. It was heavy. Uncomfortable.

"Are you new?" the man asked.

"Why do you care?" 

"Because they keep letting scavengers in and those scavengers comin' in off the street keep stealing."

"Do you want a fight or what?"

The man finally let go of Sun. "I just want you to know not to screw around with Cardin Winchester, okay? Stay the _fuck_ outta here."

Sun considered giving Cardin a whack on the head with his staff, but decided against it. There was no reason to make serious enemies. He made his way out. For all that he had called Neptune an asshole, he did not deserve that label at all compared to Cardin ...or whatever his name was. 

He wandered about the second floor, but there was no spot that was just as good as the one he had left. The other windows all faced walls or boring backyards.

When they were supposed to meet, Neptune was still tinkering with something. He put it away as soon as Sun approached him, placing it in a rucksack that he threw over his shoulder. The sun was breaking through the clouds, light reflecting off of the metal surfaces in the fence as they went through the gates. There were no farewells said, no goodbyes - just as it had been for Ruby's team earlier. They asumed they would come back the way everyone else did. The air outside was fresher, devoid of all the human smells that lingered in the cramped enviroment behind the fence. And Sun's body fell back into old patterns, his senses sharpening and adrenaline making its way into his bloodstream. He knew the rules of this place. He had done this many times before. As usual, he preferred to get up high, but when he made for the nearest house, Neptune stopped him.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Up," Sun answered. "What's the matter?"

"...Nothing. I just think I'll stay down here."

"It's risky." Sun smirked, "You like taking risks?"

"I just dont... Nevermind."

Sun began climbing anyway, looking back over his shoulder to say, "Then I'll yell if I see something, 'kay? Be your eyes up here."

Neptune gave him a half-hearted thumbs up. "Sounds good," he said weakly before looking up at the sun, using its position to find the direction they were supposed to be going. This time, Sun did not have to follow anybody's lead: Once he knew the way they were headed, he could make his own route over cables and smokestacks and ledges, jumping and balancing as he went.

They saw the first zombies after ten minutes. Again the density of them in this particular town surprised Sun - there were at least seven of them moving in one pack and more on the horizon. It was different from the few stragglers and isolated wanderes he had encountered before, to say the least. He whistled to get Neptune's attention, not wanting to be so loud as to attract the zombies. Once Neptune's eyes were on him, Sun waved and pointed, allowing Neptune to take a safer route through a dilapitated building. For a moment, Sun was nervous when he lost sight of him. Anything could be hiding in that house. Then Neptune came out on the other side and Sun made it across the street with one leap where the gap was smallest and the pack of so-called walkers passed by them without ever being aware of their prescence, and all was well again.

The next stretch was a bit easier - here, the zombies were walking around alone, making them easy to dispatch. Often Neptune could handle it himself, but more than once Sun had to warn him of another creature coming from a blind angle. Then Neptune found himself cornered in a backyard, an entire family staring him down with dead eyes. The drop from the roof of their suburban home was not far, and Sun made it to the ground without much trouble apart from a stinging pain in his leg that went away within seconds. While Sun took out the largest of the zombies (a grey, rotting parody of a dad with beer gut handing out under a shirt mostly lost to the elements) and the second smallest (might have been a teenager or just a ltitle younger than that, dead eyes and an unfortunte haircut, espicially since the hair was falling out in chunks), Neptune dealt with the two others. One of them could have been a child. Sun had narrowly avoided getting clawed in the face and someone had stepped over his toes, but the damage he had inflicted was much worse. Gore covered the lawn when they were done, Sun having knocked out soft brain tissue from one of the zombies.The house itself had already been looted, the doors and windows wide open, but Neptune wanted to check it out anyway and Sun didn't mind resting for two minutes. And Neptune did, in fact, return triumphantly with three bottles of various painkillers that he proudly stored in the bag.

Sun regarded the scene for a moment before doing like Neptune and jumping over the fence in the yard, landing on an empty road through the suburbs. A few toys were still lying on the street, and somewhere a dog was barking. Neptune looked at Sun who shook his head.

"It's dead," Sun said.

"Zombie dog," Neptune added.

They spent a while wandering through the area, inspecting garages and ruined homes but finding nothing of interest. Occasionally, a zombie shuffled towards them, but between short bursts of running and Sun's staff, they made their way through unscathed. In small numbers, the zombies were less of a threat. In time they left the residential area behind entirely, following a road to what seemed to be the outskirts of town. There were a tiny park being taken over by nature with the special kind of melancholic, empty swingsets that only existed where there were no children for miles. The sound of rustling in the bushes convinced both Sun and Neptune to not stay around for long. Behind the park was a fast food resaturant with a parking lot that was only partially empty. Trucks that would never drive again stood side by side, and one of them, to Sun's disgust, still had it's owner inside. The zombie was resting with its greenish-coloured face pushed up against a puke-stained window.

"That's... Ew..." Neptune began, but he went silent as they went closer.

Sun was looking towards the restaurant. He could see silhouettes of people inside, moving slowly and awkwardly between each other. They were all dead in there, and they were probably hungry for more than cheap burgers. He wanted to warn Neptune, tell him to be quiet, but something had caught Neptune's attention already. The back of the puke-truck was filled with a variety of tools and assorted junk.

"Is there really anything we need in there?" Sun asked. 

"Yes, actually," Neptune said. He picked up a few tools while they spoke, weighting them in his hand. "We need stuff so we can build stuff. Oh, there's duct tape. Must've been on his way back from Home Depo or something."

While Neptune filled his bag, Sun remained vigilant. Even his breathing sounded too loud to him. He was sure they could all hear him. The zombie inside the truck had begun banging softly, but rythmically at the door in an attempt to get out.

"Hurry up," Sun whispered.

Neptune looked up. "Got it."

Just as he put the last item into his rucksack, the driver's door in the truck was opened violently. The zombie halfway crawled, halfway spilled out onto the parking lot, moaning all the while. Even worse, its cries drew the attention of other nearby zombies, making them rattle the restaurant doors loudly enough that Sun and Neptune could hear them several yards away.

"Time to go," Sun said, and Neptune reacted swiftly, closing his bag and following Sun as he ran for... well, anywhere else. They made it away from the restaurant while the zombie was still getting its bearings, and they were long gone by the time the double doors gave in and let the horde of ex-customers out.

They had found a road.

It was a large road, two lanes in both directions, with cracks in the asphalt and probably some actual crack still in the bushes along the side if anybody bothered to look. At either side, garbage had accumulated in deep ditches, and stalled cars impeded the pair's progress. Maybe it was the uninteresting surroundings that made the building stand out as it did, or maybe it was the fact that he had been looking for it the whole trip without realizing it before now - anyhow, Sun noticed the facility before Neptune did. It was still a fair distance away, but the three-meters tall fence was hard to overlook, as was the fact that the building itself was a story taller than any of the surrounding warehouses. Security cameras were hanging on the walls, but they looked like they weren't on. Signs warned onlookers of dangerous chemicals, private property and legal consequences.

Without noticing whether Neptune was following him or not, Sun began walking towards it. The closer he got, the more he felt like something was very, very wrong. He was right in front of the omnimous when it hit him, and the realization made him turn to Neptune.

"Can you hear anything?" Sun asked.

Neptune looked rather concerned. "Hear... what?"

"Exactly," Sun said. "No zombie-sounds. No shuffeling, no moaning and groaning, no rattling..." The absense of the sounds that had otherwise been present ever since he stepped out of camp that morning had at first felt strange to Sun, like something was missing. He didn't know when he had become so used to them.

Neptune seemed to listen intently before saying, "I can't hear anything either. Looks like you're right."

"But why would there not be any zombies around?"

"Two options," Neptune said, holding up the corresponding number of fingers. "One: There is nothing interesting. No food. No humans."

"Let me guess. The second option is that there are humans here, and that someone had been clearing 'em out."

Neptune nodded. "So do we _do_  anything or do we just go back with what we found?"

"I'm curious," Sun said. "Heard Ruby's team talk about this place. They said they saw supplies and stuff."

"Huh."

Sun waited for a moment. He looked up and down the fence. "I could probably climb this."

"...Are you sure?" Neptune asked, concerned.

"Kind of."

They both stood and stared at it, as if that would help.

"Let's not do that," Neptune declared.

"Agreed."

"I'm going to go look for a way around."

"Even though it's boring," Sun added, partly joking.

They slowly began walking around the fence, following it into an alleyway. There was very little space between the fence and the wall of the of the neighbouring house, and the the ground was a mess of mud and puddles. The walls themselves were wet, almost slimy to the touch, and Sun invnietably brushed against them again and again in attempts to get around piles of garbage and broken crates. Finally they ended up at a dead end where there was a breach in the fence. They didn't have to wonder what had caused it; three zombies were lying around the small hole, their limbs splayed and mouths agape. One of them was halfway through the fence, but Sun could see a bullet wound in its head. Behind the fence was an ordinary warehouse, but through large, open doors Sun could see barrels marked with chemical symbols and crates stacked high.

"Do you really think it is worth it?" Neptune asked, recoiling from the smell of the bodies.

"You don't have to come with," Sun said. "Just help me haul this one away. Maybe there are survivors in there. Someone must have shot that guy." He pointed to the shot zombie.

"I don't know, Sun."

"The rewards might outweigh the risks."

"Might."

"Just give me a hand!"

Grudingly, Neptune did as he was told and grabbed the zombie's ankle. Judging from his facial expression, the feeling was disgusting - and when Sun grabbed hold of its shirt, intending to lift it off the fence, he understood. The fabric was wet, partly with rain and partly with slippery rot. He closed his eyes to avoid looking at it, steeled himself and pulled in time with Neptune. The zombie was heavy - it had once been a grown man - but with their combined efforts, it eventually dropped down on the ground, staring up at the sky with its empty eyes.  
There was still a bit of gore stuck to the broken wires where the body had been, but Sun judged the hole big enough to get through.

"You're still sure?"

"It might be worth it," Sun said. "Just pull me out if I get stuck."

With that, Sun hooked his fingers around the metal wires and pushed his head through the hole. So far, so good, but the amount of loose wires worried him - any one of them might scratch him somewhere and draw blood, and god knows which kind of infections that could give him. Maybe _the_ infection. He shuddered at the thought and got his shoulder's through which was by far the hardest part. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was fully aware that he wasn't being too clever, but he was almost through. He just needed to get his leg over when he heard a noise. Frozen halfway through the fence, he looked around for the source of the sound.

It had been the sound of footsteps, and now they were coming closer.

The _click-clack_ of high heels catapulted Sun back to before the outbreak, instilling a sense of both confusion and nostalgia in him. The overcast sky and the shadows worked together to obscure the area inside the warehouse where not a single light was on. But that place was where the footsteps came from, and that place was where both young men were looking. And from there came a figure - a woman - dressed entirely in black. Only the eyes stood out, almost glowing orange. Somewhere very far behind her, Sun could have sworn he saw another figure, male, tall and brandishing a cane. But it was the woman who demanded their attention.

They both stared at her, stunned by the sight. Then Neptune waved and raised his empty hands.

"Hello!" He said loudly, "You're a survivor?!"

Sun felt the strain on his back from holding his position for so long. He still didn't move, though, afraid of showing anything that the woman could interpret as a sign of aggresion.  
Then she pulled a gun.

Sun starred down the barrel and suddenly felt very, very cold.

"Hey, calm down-" Neptune began somewhere behind Sun, but then his voice was drowned out when she fired. The subsequent ringing in Sun's ears made it impossible for him to hear anything, but he figured

Neptune was probably telling him to run. He retreated as quickly as he could, drawing head and torso back out of the hole but feeling a multitude of stinging cuts on his arms, but he had no time for cursing at himself for wearing a stupid short sleeved shirt or for making all those decisions that had let him to that point; instead he ran.

He knew Neptune was somewhere behind him, keeping up the best he could. Sun looked over his shoulder but caught only glimpses; between the ringing in his head and the obstacle course that was their path back to the main road he could not afford to look away from the ground for long. He faintly heard a second shot go off, then a third - and then he heard a cry of pain from Neptune. Until that moment, he had never considered how much he had feared hearing that sound. He hestitated before he stopped, but he finally convinced his adrenaline-infused body to look back at his companion even though all his instinctstold him to keep on running. He could have sworn he could hear the sound of those high heels right next to him even though he was sure he was almost deaf.

Neptune was kneeling down, clutching his right arm where blood - red fading to sepia - had begun seeping through his jacket - brown cloth with deep red blotches. He looked up at Sun, blue eyes still somehow focused even though it was clear to see that he was in terrible pain. When he spoke, Sun could only faintly hear the words, but what he could not hear he could gather from the movement of Neptune's lips.

"Run," he said. "I'm... alright." He attempted to get back up on his feet with gritted teeth and shaking legs. Sun realized that he could just run if he wanted to. Run away and hope Neptune caught up.

Or maybe he didn't have a choice.

Sun reached out for Neptune who took his outstretched hand, holding it tightly as he was pulled up. For an instant, the single thought running through Sun's head was _warm_ , but what he felt was the terrible, sticky warmth of blood. At that moment, Sun saw the woman getting closer - he could even see her smile. Still pulling Neptune behind him, Sun dashed out onto the street.

Neptune could only run slowly, and Sun guessed that every step sent another jolt of pain up through his arm. A fourth shot rang out, again removing all sound from Sun's world. They ran and ran until Neptune stopped suddenly, pressing his hand onto the wound. Sun could still see the warehouse, but it did not seem like the woman had followed them. _Why?_ he thought. Did she only care about chasing them away? The empty road provided no answers. The grey sky was universally indifferent. Sun's hearing was slowly returning, and the first thing he heard was the blood rushing through his veins. His heart was beating too fast, and it felt like it would break through his ribcage or force its way up his throat, but there were no enemies to be seen anymore. He looked down at Neptune who sat down on the asphalt, removing his jacket. He carefully peeled away his t-shirt, already wet with blood, from his right arm where the shot at hit him just above the elbow. The act made him wince in pain.

Sun knelt down beside him, whispering frantically, "You okay?"

Neptune swallowed a couple times before answering slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll make it. I'll- Here, help me with this..." He tried to tear of a strip of cloth from his shirt, but couldn't do anything with his right arm. Sun helped him and pressed the cloth onto the wound all while hearing Neptune's ragged breathing. There was blood under Sun's hands -  _on_ his hands - and he felt Neptune's body shake faintly.  Sun cursed at himself for not knowing what to do other than stop the bleeding. And even that he couldn't do very well. Once the impromptu tourniquet was in place, Neptune calmed down. He stared at his arm, and Sun wondered if he was in shock.

Unsure of what to do, Sun laid a light hand on his left shoulder. "Can you go back?"

Neptune looked up at Sun. "I..." he began, but Sun cut him off.

"Well, actually, we _have_ to go back. We're going to have to be careful," Sun said, speaking mostly to himself. "You can't fight like that."

"Thanks, _Captain Obvious_ , I know. I won't move it too much. It just... it  _hurts_."

Sun didn't know how to respond. He stood up slowly, and Neptune followed his lead.

"It hurts," Neptune repeated quietly.

"Let's get going," Sun said softly, and Neptune responded with a grave nod.

Walking along the black, wet road felt like walking on a vein. An artery of the dead beast that was the city. As if they were two lost white blood cells trying to combat an infection that had already won.

They backtracked most of the time, not wanting to try new routes where danger might lurk around every corner. All the while, Neptune was trying to hold his right arm still, every movement drawing small groans and pained breaths from him. They walked slow. They lost track of time

"You ever been shot?" Neptune asked Sun, who was keeping watch in the front.

"No," Sun answered.

"Then I'm - I'm going to have one more badass scar than you," he gasped.

"You think I already have badass scars?"

"You seem like the type. Dumb enough to get yourself into situratuons that leave marks..." Neptunes voice trailed off. "I kind of mean that as a compliment. I think."

"...Thanks, I guess. I don't have any scars. Sorry. Maybe I'll get one with all of these cuts."

"Maybe."

They walked in silence for a while. Then Neptune spoke again, and maybe it was just Sun's imagination, but he sounded more and more pained -  "Thanks for helping me out there."

Sun tried to ignore the memory of Neptune's hand. Of how hard it had been to watch him be in pain. Sun would have pegged it down to normal human emphathy if it wasn't for the fact that he had been farremoved from those feelings for months. If it wasn't for the fact that he kept wanting to hold that hand again. Just until they were back.

"You're welcome," he said. Trying to change the subject, he asked Neptune whether he thought that anybody in camp would know who that woman was. He could only give a short description - eye and hair colour, gender and approximate height - but that could be enough if they were lucky.

"We're going to have to explain _this_ ," Neptune answered, pointing to his arm. "The... rumor will spread soon enough. Maybe someone else knows her. Then I'll ask them what her _problem_ is."

"I just don't get why anybody would chase other survivors away," Sun asked. He spread out his arms. "How many people do you think lived here? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? And what's left? Some forty people. Why would you kill even more when they were friendly?"

"I don't know, Sun." Neptune stopped completely and took a deep, shaky breath.

"Do you need to rest?"

"Ngh. I think I... It's close, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure..."

Neptune pointed with his left, showing Sun a street that he recognized from the past day. The entrance could not be far away. He was pretty sure he'd collapse as soon as he and Neptune were safe, as he was constantly on edge. He heard the gurgling sound of _something_ nearby and urged Neptune to hurry. A zombie shuffled out from an open door. It had once been a blonde woman. Neptune's left hand moved towards his gun, but Sun stopped him.

"You can't shoot like that. And even if you could I wouldn't want to be around while you did it with your left hand."

"You do it then-," Neptune said, fear creeping into his voice as the zombie came closer and closer.

Sun was afraid of making any more noise, so he swallowed, took a step forward and used his staff, attacking the thing's head. One hit wasn't enough, and now the zombie lounged at him. Sun barely dodged it, but even with his pulse a hundred times too fast, he could recognize an opening. He hit the zombie in the back, sending it crashing down into the dust. From there, it was easy for him to grab his weapon and, mustering all the strength he had left, to break through its skull. The noise it made was sickening, a kind of crunch followed by a wet, sloppy sound. Neptune cringed.

Now with splatters of foul-smelling blood on his pants and hands, Sun supported Neptune as they made their way to the barricade that marked the edge of the camp. The final stretch was both the easiest and the hardest, but at last they made it back through the gate. 

On the other side, Neptune collapsed. 


	3. Stories past and present

The school's infirmary was out of the way, old, and too small. Sun walked behind Neptune as they entered. There were only two real beds, requiring surplus patients to lie on the floor. Luckily, only one of the beds was occupied. The medical equipment, though not in pristine condition, still looked like it functioned (not that Sun thought knowing a patient's blood pressure or temperature would do them any good when the only cure for a zombie bite was a bullet to the head). The sight nonetheless made Sun feel better.

What made Sun feel worse was the fact that Neptune looked less and less lucid as the adrenaline left him and as he slowly laid down on one of the beds. No sounds escaped him anymore apart from when he whimpered a bit while the man who had helped the two of them to the infirmary removed his jacket and the makeshift bandage, peeling the blood soaked, sticky cloth away. Sun winced at the sight and stepped back, the smell of blood suddenly stronger. Neptune's left hand kept clenching and unclenching as he dug his nails into his palm.

The man did not take his eyes off Neptune, but he addressed Sun when he spoke.

"Do you know how he got shot?" 

"We found another survivor," Sun said. "Hostile."  
  
"...Hmm.” The man examined Neptune's wound, ”Did you find any loot?”

Sun showed the man his bag.

"Take that to Glynda," the man said. ”Tell her what happened, too." Upon seeing Sun's slightly confused look, he continued, "She's Ozpin's second in command. Takes care of inventory."

Sun was about to ask where to find her, but the man had already turned his back to Sun. Seeing the man seek out gauze and medical alcohol did not do much in order to make Sun less uneasy about the whole situation. He tried to understand why he was so nervous but found no clear answer waiting for him in the back of his mind. He then tried to make himself remember that Neptune was a stranger still, that he'd just get in the way if he stayed there in the small, cramped room.

In the end, maybe Sun was just proving to himself that he could when he clutched the bag tight and went on his way towards this Glynda, wherever she was.

The morning's activity had been reduced to the slow slumber of the afternoon and soon-to-be evening. Sun hadn't realized how long he had been gone until he felt how relaxed the pace of the camp had gotten, the mood a bit more somber now - whatever optimism people had woken up with had been worn down during the day. Tonight, perhaps, the mood would lighten once again when fires were lit and food and drink was shared, but at the moment Sun felt the tension and boredom of his surroundings at full force.

He thought about staying in that camp. How it would feel to experience that rhythm every day.  He could not imagine being confined in a small area for long - to see the same faces all the time, to see the same places, always knowing what to expect. He didn't know if he could want that, not when he supposed he knew more than these survivors about the freedom of the rooftops and the winding streets and the space between lonely towns out in the desert where the stars were brightest. The only problem he had had out there was that it was a terrible place for an extrovert, being all alone.

  
He kept an eye out for any of the girls he had met earlier that day, but he saw nothing and figured that they were still out scavenging. Instead, he saw various people working and going about their day. Outside the school building, he saw people building things that looked somewhat advanced, but he couldn't say what they were for sure. Filtration systems, perhaps. Maybe stills. Other people - a far bigger percentage - were taking a break until dinnertime. Sun saw the basketball court being used, and others had set up some kind of small baseball field. The bases were just empty cans, but the ball was real, and Sun wondered where they had gotten it from. The bat, though, he did not have to wonder about: the bloodstains on its end told its tale far too well. He would have carried on then and there if it wasn't for the fact that the wielder of that bat was the same red-haired asshole Sun had met earlier. And even Sun, who tried to be open minded most of the time, had to admit that his second impression was no better than the first.  
Surrounded by a crew of similar boys, all tall, muscular and sneering, Cardin was holding a petite, brunette girl back by her hand. Sun could easily hear them shouting, but nobody else seemed to have taken notice of what was happening – or maybe they just ignored it. The girl had turned away from her tormentors, shaking with fear. She reminded Sun of some kind of rabbit or doe, a forest creature at the mercy of predators.

The whole scenario reminded him of scenes from his own past, from a hundred similar conversations with a hundred similar guys.

  
"Look at that!" Cardin said. There was laughter in his voice. "Why're you running away?"

  
"Yeah, there's nothing to be afraid of," another boy added. "We just get a little angry when people try to use things that aren't theirs."

  
"It's not her fault that she came in off the street after we made the place safe," Cardin continued. He smiled at her, but in a way that showed all his teeth. "She couldn't have known that this place is ours, and that bat is ours, and that she owes us favours for fending off the zombies so she could even live here, right?"

"Look I'm sorry-" the girl began, once more trying to escape Cardin's grasp, but Cardin pulled her back with a swift, violent motion.

That was when Sun made a rash decision and stepped in, pushing his anxious thoughts aside and his chest forward.  

"What's going on here?" he asked. At once, the boys all tensed up, their gazes fixing on him. Sun remembered the bat in Cardin's hands.

"Nothing," Cardin said, yanking the girl back again. He placed his other hand on his hip. "Just dealing with a refugee."

"Aren't we all refugees?" Sun asked lightly. "I mean, seriously, calm down dude. Nobody got hurt."

"It's not about getting hurt. It's about _respect_ ," Cardin replied. "We _deserve_ some fucking respect. A few perks. After all, we find the food and keep the zombies at bay, so we have right to decide who gets that food and safety, right, boys?"

As if they had rehearsed it, Cardin's gang stepped forward with crossed arms and smug grins. "I think the girl got the message," one of them said. Cardin looked at her, obviously contemplating whether to let go or not.

"Shame it's such a shit message," Sun said. "I think we should all focus on being a bit more giving in these trying times. Sharing is caring."

Cardin let go of the girl's hand, his fingers turning into empty claws. She ran, but not before sending Sun a thankful nod that only served to make the angry heat in his stomach almost unbearable. Cardin's face was so smug and Sun still had his staff strapped to his back - and Cardin wanted a fight, that was clear for all to see.

"I've no respect for people like you," Sun taunted.

"So? There's only one of you." Cardin said. "There are four of us. We'll teach you." He lifted his bat up, showing it off in an attempt to scare Sun away, but it wasn't working. Sun felt like he could take them on. There were so many things wrong in the world that couldn't be fixed by violence - he couldn't fix the zombies or the apocalypse or Neptune's arm - but this wasn't one of them, and by God was Sun ever ready to get started. He had his staff in his hand and a smile on his lips when he heard a voice behind him - It was not a voice he recognized, but it was a voice the scared Cardin. Sun decided that that was a good sign.

Turning around, he saw a woman staring at him. She wore a pencil skirt and a short raincoat, and she carried a clipboard with her. Her hair was tied up in a neat and orderly bun, and Sun knew that this was exactly the kind of person you would want to be in charge of your supplies. So that had to be Glynda, didn't it?

Her voice was commanding, but not too harsh. "Cardin," she said, "Listen to yourself. All that talk about who gets to use your baseball field, picking on those smaller than you - it's like you should be a student here." She nodded towards the school building. "An old-fashioned high-school bully. Get out of the way and don't let me hear about anymore trouble from you.” Cardin crossed his arms, not budging. ”I have the authority to cut rations in half and I will not hesitate to use it," Glynda continued, and _that_ seemed to have an effect.

Dissatisfied, Cardin lowered the bat. He spat on the ground while the rest of his group slunk away. He followed them soon after, but not before giving Sun a look that assured him that whatever they had going on between them, it wasn't finished. Glynda crossed her arms and looked down on Sun, being just a bit taller than him.

"Newcomer, I take it?" she asked. 

"I'm Sun."

"Glynda."

Sun picked up the bag he had discarded as preparation for the fight and handed it to her. "Got some loot for you."

He couldn't help but be a bit proud of her reaction when she found the painkillers. "Good," she said, looking pleased for just a moment. "I'll bring it over to storage, then."

"Mind if I come with?" Sun asked.

"As long as you behave," she said.

 

 

It was hard to tell what the room had been before Glynda had claimed it. Crates and boxes were stacked high by the walls, and yet there was still somehow room for shelves and cabinets where checklists were stapled to containers of every kind. Glynda moved around with ease, and Sun was surprised by the lack of clutter. Most people would have made a mess of the place, but here, things were separated after function and rarity, all in order. Sun saw medical supplies, various goods and foods - mostly canned and dried or boring, but there was enough for everyone to eat, even if they couldn't eat until they were full.

Glynda began jotting down the things she had received on yet another list. She faintly repeated the words under her breath. "One bottle 200mg Ibrupofen... 3 Cans..." She looked up at Sun, who was leaning against a crate, waiting for her to finish. Once she was done, she raised her voice again. "Why did you bring tools and scrap back with you?" she asked. 

"Ah. Those aren't mine," Sun answered.

"...Then whose are they, then?" 

"Neptune's."

"I was wondering where he was.” Glynda tore of the page and put it into a drawer, talking all the while. ”Did he get too busy to deliver his stuff himself? Did he make you do it so he could chase skirts again?" She smiled a bit, and it almost made Sun feel bad when he told her what had happened.

"He's not well," he said, watching her smile fade away into her former serious expression. "He's over in the infirmary.”

”Sick?”

”He got shot."

”Oh.” Glynda crossed her arms tightly in front of her, furrowing her brows. "Will he survive?"

Sun could hear from her voice that she wasn't hoping for anything, not expecting anything.

"Seems like it," he said. "No zombies came into contact with the open wound. He didn't lose too much blood... I hope."

Glynda breathed a barely audible sigh. Then her next words came as swiftly as a crack of a whip. "Who shot him?"

"Some stranger," Sun said. "Another survivor. Did you know there were others around in this town?"

Glynda didn't answer at first. She picked up her pen and started twirling it between her fingers, looking... Distraught, almost. "Yes," she finally said. "Can you... Describe them?"

"Sure." Sun did his best not to et it show, but he felt like he was tiptoeing on the edge of a gorge. He didn't know if the next thing he said would be that sent him falling - did Glynda have some kind of history with the people who had shot Neptune?

"There was a woman and a man, I think. There could have been more; it was hard to tell. The woman had long, black hair, a short dress, these... Orange eyes. She was the one who did it."

"And the man?"

"He had a cane. That was really all I could see. Just his silhouette."

"Hm," While Sun watched, she began pacing about as much as she could in the small room. She seemed deep in thought. Sun understood that he had been the bringer of bad news and waited anxiously for what she had to say. "Do you think Neptune saw any more?"

"No, I think he saw the same as me."

"And that was all you noticed? Did you see what they were doing before you showed up?"

"No. Something in a facility of sorts. Old pharmaceutical plant, I heard.."

She turned away from him, stowing the items from the empty bag away before handing the bag back to him. "I'm also going to talk to someone now. You're free to go."

He followed her out and watched her walk away, her pace brisk and decisive. He himself had no clear place to be. It would still be a while before could he let himself be drawn down to the cafeteria with the rest of the survivors, and if he returned to the infirmary, there was no guarantee that Neptune would be available - or able - to talk to him. Yang and the others were still away...

Thus, after pacing around outside for a while, Sun remembered Neptune's advice from earlier in the day and decided to take a look at the library out of pure boredom. Then they'd have something to talk about other than zombies and wounds if he - when he - visited him, Sun reasoned. He found his way without much trouble, and in the library, there were no surprises. Just books. Some of the shelves were ruined and some of the books had water damage or missing pages, but knowing high schools, Sun wondered how much of that had happened before the outbreak. He studied the titles but found nothing really interesting. He had never been an avid reader - only if comic books counted, and they were sadly absent from the shelves; Sun had no desire to open the heavy tomes that stood shoulder by shoulder with titles he vaguely remembered from English class. He wandered into the nonfiction section, which was even worse, and ended up just sitting on the floor. There was nobody around to see him, and maybe that was why he felt that he could lay his head back and let his muscles relax as he just breathed. He was tired.

And the day wasn't even over yet.

He read the titles of the books on the other side of the aisle. "European Folklore." "On the variance of superstition." A single book caught his eye, and he reached forward to pulled it down from its shelf. Placing it in his lap, he began reading. When was the last time he had just sat at down to read? He exhaled again. There were no zombies waiting around the corner. He inhaled and turned a page. Neptune was getting fixed up. He couldn't die from being hit in the arm. Exhale. Whatever Glynda had been worried about had nothing to do with him. Inhale. He remembered this book. Exhale. This book...

  
He hadn't noticed how much time had passed until he heard low chatter from the cafeteria. He carried the book with him, stowing it away in his bag as he left the library.  
The sight that met him reminded him a bit of the soup kitchens in old war movies. As opposed to last time when it had been mostly empty, there were now many people in the large, white room. The tired, dirty adults and teenagers looked almost comical standing in line in front of posters advertising the school paper and Lisa's campaign for class presidency, but Sun joined them all the same. At the very end of the line were the professor Peach from yesterday and a few others. They had everyone's attention, being in charge of the large pots of heated something. Soup, Sun guessed, maybe with beans or meat of uncertain origin mixed in. But it was hot and someone had found spices to add to it. It beat what Sun had been eating for weeks by a wide margin.

  
He considered going straight to Neptune afterwards, but figured that his... Friend? Ally? Whatever he was to him, Neptune deserved some rest.

As did Sun.

 

 

He stood outside the door. The hallway was a bit too cold, the sky outside the cracked windows a bit too overcast. Knocking on the door was a bit too hard. Sun reminded himself that he was though enough that he could easily survive if anything were to have happened to Neptune during the night, but the fact that he had a hard time just raising his hand to knock on the damn door was proof that he might be wrong. Finally, he breathed in and knocked rapidly, forcefully - the end result being that the door was torn open by a small girl. She wore an awfully bright pink dress and an even brighter smile. Her turquoise eyes were wide and her hair seemed almost orange in the bright light of the ward.

"Hello!" she greeted him. She was, Sun thought, the cheeriest person he had met for weeks. "I'm the volunteer nurse. Are you sick?"

"You're the nurse?" Sun asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Well more 'volunteer' than 'nurse' really. I, um, don't have a medical degree of any sort. But I _am_ a volunteer. Which makes me the closest thing we've got. What's ailing you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me. I'm here to visit, er, Neptune, if you know where he is. He's not all drugged up or anything, right?"

"We don't have enough drugs to make people 'all drugged up'. I wish we had. But we don't. So he isn't. But we wish he was. Come on in!" she said, stepping aside with a look on her face like he was gaining entrance to her kingdom.

Sun stepped inside. Now that he was a bit more sure of what was going on and no one was trying to get him out of the way, he noticed details he had previously ignored. There were medical books - had the girl been studying? - old coffee cups and some of Glynda's inventory lists scattered about. Open shutters let daylight in through the large windows. One bed was occupied by an older man. The "nurse" had drawn a curtain in between the two beds in an attempt to secure her patients some privacy, and with her permission, Sun drew it back slowly. The material felt weird. Damp plastic with an eye-searing pattern printed on it. For just a moment, he held on to it.

Neptune looked better than he had expected, but also worse for the wear. The night's sleep had probably done him good, but still... When they got to the hospital, Neptune had looked as if he wasn't quite _there_. Now, he looked like he was painfully aware of everything and wishing that he wasn't. He was dressed in a white undershirt instead of his usual getup, his arm had been put into a sling with a proper bandage over the wound, and he had a watersoaked rag on his forehead as if he had been running a fever. But as far as Sun could tell, not a drop of any zombie's bodily fluids had entered the open sore. Neptune wasn't pale, he wasn't delirious - just as Sun had dared to expect, he wasn't going to turn. Neptune recognized Sun, nodding faintly and then sitting up. The sound of the sheets shifting when he moved seemed unnaturally loud.  
Sun looked around for a chair but found nothing. He caught a glimpse of the girl in the pink dress leaving, shutting the door softly behind her as she mouthed the word "bye" and waving. Then he saw Neptune drawing his knees up to make room for Sun on the edge of the bed. Sun sat down carefully, the bed creaking and settling beneath his weight. The sheets were stiff and coarse when he touched them.

"So... Hey," he said.

"Hey," Neptune answered.

"How are you holding up?"

"Well," Neptune said, gesturing towards his arm, "All things considered, I could be worse."

"...I got your stuff over to storage," Sun said, pointing somewhere in the general direction of the storage room even though it could not be seen from the ward.

"It's our stuff," Neptune added. "But go on."

"Got in a disagreement with Cardin Winchester."

"That bastard."

"Sure you don't want to talk about you instead?"

"Please. "

"Okay. Let's see - I went to the library like you told me to."

"Did you find anything?"

"Kind of?" Sun said, finding the book in his bag and handing it over. Neptune took the it carefully into his hands. It was old, frayed around the corners. It had felt almost brittle when Sun touched it. Rich illustrations covered it front and back, decipting battles and colourful landscapes.

"Chinese fairy tales," Neptune said. "Why?"

"I used to read that when I was a little kid. Give it back to me for a sec."

Neptune handed the book back to Sun, who found the page he had dog-eared the day before. Here, the drawings were more sparse, but Sun vividly remembered one picture in particular. A person somewhere between monkey and man with a mix of traits from both stood perched on top of a stone, overlooking a world full of strange creatures of every kind. Sun remembered dragons and animals, monks and heaven and hell, and he pointed to the picture and said, "That's me."

"What." Neptune raised en eyebrow. "Explain."

"Well, almost. You've never read _Journey to the West_? Really?" Sun shook his head slowly from side to side. "Tsk. And you call yourself a scholar."

"Just go on, Sun." Neptune said, smiling. "And move up here so I can still see the book."

Sun carefully did as he was asked. Once he had gotten into a position where Neptune could look over his shoulder, he felt the other man's legs against the small of his back and the warmth of the bed. Another person's body heat. Sun tried to forget about it and focus on his story. He took a deep breath of the stale air, the smell reminding him of every hospital he had ever visited all at once.

"His name's _also_ Sun Wukong,” he began. ”I don't think I ever got around to ask whether I was named after him or if it was some freak coincidence. I mean, who names their kid something that I'm pretty sure means 'monkey animal' or something along those lines?" Sun waited for a moment, feeling bad about having brought up his parents. He was glad that Neptune didn't ask about them. "...But chinese names go family name first, right? So he's really Wukong Sun. If I was named after him, they messed up."

"Sun's a better name though. All that potential for puns!"

"Rise and shine!" Sun said in a mocking tone.

"The Sun is up!" Neptune added, laughing softly.

"Oh! I didn't know it was a Sun-day today!"

"And I thought I had it tough, but all I ever had to deal with was people snickering in history class. Yang would have a blast."

"She's fond of puns?"

Neptune rolled his eyes. "You have _no_ idea."

Sun looked back at the book. "Anyway, this Wukong fella was pretty arrogant, but good at magic. And fighting."

"Like you," Neptune said, motioning for Sun to give him back the book. "Well, not the magic, but you know."

"That's no coincidence!" Sun said, obliging. Passing the book back and forth like that was kind of nice. "I got all inspired to get started with martial arts and stuff."

"And stuff." Neptune studied the picture for a while before continuing. "He even looks a bit like you." He looked up at Sun who crossed his arms.

"Ha, ha," Sun said dryly.

"I mean... He's not bad looking at all."

"Are you complimenting me right now?" Neptune didn't answer. "Come on, why are your compliments always so strangely backhanded?"

"Nevermind," Neptune sighed, leaning back into his pillow and staring at pages without really reading. Mostly he was just staring at the book, avoiding Sun's gaze. Sun watched him. "I'm glad you showed up, by the way,” Neptune continued. ”Who knows, me getting shot might be the start of something beautiful. A beautiful friendship, I mean."

"I hope so," Sun said.

There was another pause. It was... strangely uncomfortable, and Sun felt like the air was thick with unsaid words. Somewhere, a clock was ticking.  
Sun saw dust suspended in the air, lit by a single beam of sunlight.

Then, suddenly, the person in the other bed on the other side of the curtain coughed loudly, startling both Sun and Neptune. "You okay over there?" Sun asked, but there was no response, just an incomprehensible noise. Sun couldn't even see the silhouette of the other person, whomever they were. As the shock faded away, they sat in silence for a while.

"Hey," Neptune said softly. "It gets really boring, this. Would you... Maybe... Read it to me? The story?"

Sun waited, trying to formulate an answer. It occurred to him that he didn't know, because of course he _could_ stay and read, but on the other hand the whole situration was weird - awfully intimate and too public all at once after the cough had reminded him of the third person's presence. And even if they hadn't been there, there was still the matter of how weird Sun felt sitting there, in a bed, with Neptune, feeling heat against his body even though they were separated by an impenetrable wall of clothes and bed sheets and something else he couldn't define. He opened his mouth to say _something_ , unsure of what he would blurt out-

-Then the door was opened. Sun turned to stare at Glynda's face, her expression strict, but not unkind. The unmistakeable feeling of a lost chance swelled up inside him, the moment torn away and definitively ended as he closed the book to hear what Glynda had to say.

"Ozpin and I would like to have talk with you two," was her entire message. She looked towards Neptune and added, "Can you walk?"

"Yeah," Neptune answered. Sun stood up and helped Neptune do the same, pulling him up by his hand. His palm was sweaty. A low groan escaped Neptune, but he shook his head, "It's nothing," he said. Sun didn't believe him, but it wasn't like he could stop him.

Glynda led them down the hall and around more corners than Sun cared to count. Sun was confused as they passed by the principal's office, but a shrug from Neptune told him that his friend didn't know either. They ended up outside the door that Sun had noticed the day he arrived. The heavy padlock was no longer there - Ozpin was probably inside already - but even the small window in the door had been boarded up from the inside. Sun found that he wasn't nervous at all, just curious. Very curious, in fact.

The kind of curious that usually got him into trouble.

Glynda went in first and was gone for a few minutes before she returned to fetch Sun and Neptune as well.

When the door opened, Sun needed a moment to take it all in.

 

 

Ozpin was standing in what had once been a biology lab. Stuffed animals lined the shelves while desks stood in disarray on the floor.Three out of four walls were bare with the ecxeption of a single cheery poster informing non-existent students about the science of DNA. The far wall had, however, been transformed into something quite different. Ozpin stood in front of newspaper clippings and blurry photographs that were connected with strings and arrows to headshots and maps. At first glance, Sun thought it looked like something out of a conspiracy theorist's basement, but when he looked closer, he recognized the face of the woman who had shot Neptune. He saw the order and meaning of the newspaper clippings. Everything on the wall was connected to the outbreak and that woman in some way. And to the right of the picture of the woman there was a similar picture of a man with bright red hair and a cane.

"Those are the people I saw," Sun said, pointing at them.

"I thought so," Ozpin said. "Thank you for bringing them, Glynda." He looked from Sun to Neptune and straightened his back as if he was preparing to give a speech. "I'm going to tell you something that I'd rather not. I implore you to only share this knowledge if there is no other alternative."

"Why are you telling us?" Neptune inquired.

"Because I'd like to avoid any future casualties and because I _know_ that young people won't just follow orders blindly. You always need to know  _why_ ," Ozpin answered.

He seemed to hold a pause for dramatic effect, but Sun grew tired of it. ”Tell us, then.”

In response, Ozpin pointed to the picture of the red-haired male. "This man," he said, "Is Roman Torchwick, the owner of Torchwick Enterprises, a barely profitable and relatively unknown pharmaceutical company. ”

Relativey unknown sounded just about right - Sun had certainly never heard of them before. 

”However,” Ozpin continued, ”the company is but a front for a major terrorist organization. You didn't know about Torchwick Enterprises, but maybe you have heard of the white fang."

Both Sun and Neptune nodded. Sun had heard the rumors, at least. He had heard about their threats and feeble attempts at attacks that had never really worked out, but he had also heard that many people predicted that they could become quite powerful in time - and that it could already be the case, and they were still just preparing for a serious act of terror. Of course, all of that had been before the outbreak. News had been scarce after the zombies came, and nobody cared about rumors then.

"The white fang developed the zombie virus," Ozpin continued. "We don't know if it was Torchwick's idea. It might've been hers" he pointed to the woman. "Cinder Fall. But we do know that it was supposed to be a biological weapon and that it got out of control. Both their own troops and the wider population were infected." Ozpin tapped his cane against the floor. "They wanted to change society, but they ended up destroying it."

"How do you know all that?" Neptune asked. Sun couldn't even think of questions to ask, caught up in the realization the now he _knew_ the source of the outbreak - and also that it actually didn't matter as much as he thought it would. The zombies were still there, after all. But it did make him crave revenge somewhere deep down. He focused on Ozpin again as he answered Neptunes question.

"Glynda, I and several others have been keeping them under observation for a while. What we are exactly would be time-consuming and unnescesary to explain. All you need to know is that these people are still working in that facility you found. They are very dangerous, and no matter what you think might be worth getting from them, you should not approach them."

"Do you think they might have a cure?" Sun asked. The question seemed logical to him; wouldn't the people who created the virus want some way to keep it in check?

Ozpin looked to Glynda, who nodded and spoke. "I repeat that we am only telling you this so you don't go spreading rumors or doing counterproductive things. Yes, we suspect that they have something, either a cure or something that could aid us in developing one," she said. "We were originally planning to use this camp both as a way to keep survivors safe as well as a way to create a group large enough that we could assault the facility and take the cure, but..."

"We now seek a way that will endanger nobody but ourselves," Ozpin said. "We are waiting for an opportunity, and you are not to alert the enemy to our presence, please. We are handling this." Ozpin walked over to one of the desks and snatched up a cup of coffee. "Tell me, why _did_ you go there?"

"Someone told us that there was loot," Neptune said.

"Someone..." Ozpin said. Sun guessed that he knew exactly who Neptune meant, but he respected their silence and made no further inquiries. "Now you know," he said. "Stay away from that place, and if you hear about anyone else trying to get whatever 'loot' there's rumored to be, stop them."  
Sun saw Neptune salute Ozpin. He himself was content with just nodding in agreement.

 

Neither of them went straight for the nurse's office afterwards. Sun thought that maybe, neither of them knew who was leading who outside to stand, for just a moment, in the cool air that heralded the coming of the night, the sky darkening above them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, dialogue is SO fun to write. But I had so much trouble with the right terms for the little improvised hospital the survivors set up (Do I call it a hospital? SIck bay? Ward? Infirmary? English as a second language is really a pain in the ass). So I settled on infirmary but i dont even know if an american school would have an infirmary. (If they don't just pretend this is a special private school or something). I also stumlbed upon some grammatical errors with "was" and "were" - If you find more, please do point them out to me. ...That was a lot of rambling. Sorry!


	4. Problems, plans and promises

It was hard to ignore when Ruby's team came back.

Firstly because, as Sun had come to find out, very little happened in the camp. You just did what you could to survive, working and eating and sleeping and existing - any news of the outside world as well as any of the items brought back from it was something to look forward to. People close to the gate kept an eye out for the returning scavengers while others eagerly awaited their signals. Then they would all crowd around the returning team and ask them what they found.  
  
But there was no crowd, no questions.

The second reason it was hard to miss was that it was not a happy return. The gates opened and closed, but it felt like there was a complete absence of sound save for a few, hushed whispers and Yang's heavy footsteps. Heavy, because she was carrying Weiss in her arms. Weiss looked small - fragile, even. Like a snowflake about to melt, teetering on the edge of non-existence. Yang brought her to the front steps of the building, Ruby and Blake right behind her. All staring at their comrade. She was not dead, not yet. But Yang raised her voice and yelled,

"Someone help! She's been bitten!"

  
From there, things got chaotic. Sun dared not dash into the midst of things as the three girls got Weiss to the infirmary, nor when he saw them speak in low voices with the people who had no chance of saving her. He watched them from the hallway one the other side of an ocean of dead air, and though he cared for Weiss just by virtue of knowing her, he was unable to join them in their sadness. He saw them linger at her bedside for a while before moving along, one by one, Ruby staying the longest. He did not stay to spy on her.

Where the others went, he did not know. He had seen the things they had brought back - much needed ammunition, ingredients for fresh food, even a few articles of clothing - and he thought that they had gone to deliver them to where they were needed. Sun had work as well: in the morning, Ozpin himself had suggested that he should go out to the barricade and take up guard duty until there was someone willing to accompany him out into the city again. But the fence did not seem to be beckoning now when worry ate away at him despite his best efforts.

He knew there was no cure for the fever she was suffering except for a miracle. Her body was still fighting the infection, but it was a battle she was destined to lose. She was a patient now, interchangeable with so many others that Sun had heard of or seen.

It scared Sun. It probably scared everyone, being reduced to a death sentence that way.

Sun did not go down to the barricade, no matter the respect he had for Ozpin. (You had to respect a man who could make so many people work together to create a safe place, and that he sought the solution that required the fewest human lives to be sacrificed. Sun did not respect lying, however, so he almost considered not following Ozpins suggestion to be a tiny rebellion - even though the man would never take it that way).

Sun went up on the rooftop. It was where he had always been safest. The wind that blew through his hair could surely also blow away the sudden melancholy that had taken place inside him - but the sight that awaited him after he had climbed up the walls, leaving fingerprints on sturdy drain pipes and empty windows, was melancholy itself.

  
Blake was sitting on the edge of the roof, her hair swaying in the wind. Her black figure was in stark contrast to the sky so light blue it was almost white, and she was staring at the horizon. Sun approached her from her back. Acquaintances or not, it wasn't good to leave someone sad at the edge of a rooftop.

"Blake, if I remember correctly?" he greeted her.

She craned her neck to look at him and nodded, moving aside in a meaningless gesture given that they had all the roof to themselves. Sun nevertheless accepted the invitation and sat down beside her. Looking at her face, he saw that she had not been crying. He was not surprised; she didn't seem the type.

He waited for her to speak, but she said nothing. She just stared, her hands in her lap except for when she adjusted her bow or some aspect of her clothing when it was moved by the wind. Sun could joke – start with a simple ”Is this how gloomy you usually look?” – but he knew that it wouldn't do.

Instead, he said, ”I know about Weiss.” He did his best to look her in the eye, but she kept avoiding his gaze. "I'm sorry."  
Blake sighed softly. ”Please don't.”

”I'm just worried about you all. I've nothing to do.”

"It's not just Weiss. It's... A lot of things."

"I've got time if you want to talk."

Suddenly, she locked eyes with him and Sun almost wished she hadn't. Through her eyes he saw a core of unbreakable obsidian and the volcanic fire that had created it all at once. "Look, talking won't fix anything. And even if I did talk, I don't expect you to care."

"I'm a textbook extrovert. Your whole team is pretty much already 'friends' in my book," Sun said. "Friends care."

"It's just... I can't just sit here while Weiss dies! Ruby's going to be devastated, so Yang's going to be devastated, so I'm going to be... But I won't.”

Sun said nothing and let Blake keep talking, afraid to touch her out of fear that she'd get up and leave.

”It's not the first time it happens to me, you know. Things just keep piling up." She pulled up her knees to her chin. "Sometimes I feel like it was easier before I came here."

"Where were you before?" Sun asked, genuinely intrigued. He swung his legs over the edge and kicked them back and forth.

"You want to know more about me?"

"Sure,"

"...I ran around for a while with this guy named Adam, living of the land.”

”Was he nice?”

”Well... For Adam, it was all a dream come true. Society falling apart." She looked up at the sky when some kind of bird of prey flew over the two of them. "I learned later that he was part of some weird terrorist organisation. After he left. I was just out there alone for a while. Went from town to town in old cars. Ran a lot. Then I found my way here.”

”Nice.”

”Actually, people were really hostile for some reason. They didn't want to take any more in.” Her face remained expressionless, but her voice no longer sounded like she was on the verge of tears. ”That sucked."

"It sucks," Sun agreed. "We're kind of the same, you know. I ran around alone for a while too."

"Did anybody leave you out there?" she asked.

"No. Long story, trust me."

"...And now all of this with Weiss." She sighed again. The sadness didn't look bad on her, but Sun knew just from looking that a smile would suit her infinitely better.

"How did it happen?" he asked.

"We were inside a hospital. The zombie was hiding behind a stretcher. It lounged at her when she was alone." Sun watched her make her hands into fists. "Shouldn't have left her alone."

"Look." Sun wanted to reach out for her, but he drew his hand back as she shied away from his touch. "It's not your fault, okay? And it's not a lost cause. I think I know how to save her."

Blake's eyes lit up immediately. "Why didn't you say that earlier? We should get the rest of the team together."

The sound of her voice instantly convinced Sun that he had made the right choice in telling her. Promise or not - some things were worth breaking the rules for. Blake stood up straight and, while still not cheery in any sense of the word, Sun thought he had made her feel at least a little better. They made their way down together. Blake did not have Sun's sense of balance, he found, but she could jump further and step lighter than he could. A broken windows made an easy entrance to the hallway on the first floor.

"Where do you think we'll find them?" Sun asked.

"Sleeping quarters," Blake said. "This way."

”I think I should go fetch Neptune on the way.”

”Do that, then. Meet you there.”

So away Sun went, thinking that it wasn't him alone who had the right to make the decision, since he wasn't the only one trusted with the secret.

He found Neptune leaning against a wall outside it, his arm still in a sling, but his demeanour a bit more cheery than the day before.

"Oh, hey," he said. "I've ceded my hospital bed to the lady. Seemed like the thing to do. You talked with any of the girls from her team?"

"Yeah. We're - we're talking right now, in fact. Do you want to come with?"

Neptune blinked. "Talking about what?"

Sun looked around them and into the infirmary itself where the nurse was still running tests on Weiss. "The _thing_!" Sun said, almost whispering. "The _cure_. For Weiss."

"Oh." Neptune lit up with the realisation. "That thing. Good. If you hadn't, I would've."

Hearing the words made Sun secure in his belief that he had done the right thing. "Ozpin chose the worst pair for his secrets," he said.

"True."

Sun had not yet been to the room the four girls had claimed for themselves, and the first impression wasn't great. The mood was terrible - Ruby and Yang were both quiet and still as they sat on the same bed, Ruby tinkering with her weapon and Yang staring at Ruby. One detail made Sun imagine how must have been before: some kind of hammock had been suspended above the usual cots, and while it looked all kinds of unsafe, the pillows and clothes half-hidden between the folds of the red fabric suggested that Ruby slept there. If there hadn't been more important things to talk about, he'd have commented on it.  
They gathered on the floor, sitting on Ruby's team's cots and blankets while Sun tried to let Neptune tell the story as they had experienced it and as it had been told to them by Ozpin.

The only problem was that Sun liked to elaborate. Their trip to the facility was more interesting when he hadn't been halfway stuck in a fence, and if Neptune would have let him, he'd have dodged bullets matrix-style. But Neptune interrupted his version of the shootout by stating things as they happened - though with a bit of a smile on his lips, which, in light of the situration, Sun viewed as quite the accomplishment.  _Worth it_.

In the end, all that was left was to make the terrible decisions.

"What we need," Yang declared, "is a plan!"

Ruby looked at the gathered peopled with furrowed brows. "But how do we do that when we don't know anything about the place, or what the cure looks like, or who we might meet?"

Sun understood her frustration - getting the cure would be no easy task. They could slip away in the night with a minimum of trouble if they were careful, but getting into the facility and finding a cure they did not know anything about would be considerably trickier. They all sat in silence for a short while, considering their options. Barging straight in through the front gates was a desperate last resort and nothing more. Several times, Sun saw Neptune raise his hand and open his mouth, looking as if he had just solved the riddle and was prepared to tell everyone what he had discovered, but again and again did he fall silent, not saying anything. It was Blake who finally spoke up.

"You said Ozpin showed you a room full of evidence," she said. "Do you think he might have had plans or pictures of the facility?"

"There might've been," Neptune said. "There was a lot."

"True," Sun agreed. It was hard to remember, but surely, there had to be something along those lines somewhere in that green-tinted room...

"Is that just a 'yeah,  _sure_ or are you _sure_ enough to try and break in?" Blake asked.

"You're planning to do what?" Neptune leant forward, coming eye to eye with Blake.

She nodded. "Seems like out best bet. From what I heard, I doubt Ozpin would be inclined to just give them to us."

"Then that's what we'll do!" Ruby said, clenching her fists. "If nobody else wants to, then I'm going."

"Don't take this personally, Ruby, but you're not very stealthy," Yang said. She reached out to pull her sister closer even as Ruby looked borderline insulted.

"I'll do it," Blake said. "Sun, you're coming with."

"Ok, sure, but why me?"

"You've been there before."

"What do you think'll happen if we get caught?" Sun asked. A moment later, he added, "I don't want to give newcomers like us a bad rep."

"Just don't get caught then," Neptune offered. "Seems pretty easy."

"You're standing guard," Sun declared. "We need a guard, right Blake?"

She nodded briefly.

"That's settled then," Sun continued. "And given there's _no_ time to waste, I think we should get going."

A small smile had crept onto Ruby's face. "And then we'll go save Weiss," she said softly, more to herself and Yang than to anybody else. Yang gave her a squeeze, and that was the last Sun saw of them before he was off with Neptune and Blake, headed towards the eerie, locked lab.

They met nobody on their way which made everything a bit easier. Blake and Sun were both able to keep a straight face, no nervous twitches or unexplained trembling hands to betray their purpose - but Neptune was a different story. Though he insisted he could keep his calm, Sun doubted him as he watched Neptune dry his sweaty palms of on his clothes. He wondered why Neptune was scared. Was it authority in general that intimidated him? Was he just not used to breaking rules or promises? Was it Ozpin in particular that made him worry so? When Sun asked what the matter was, Neptune just shrugged. "Get on with it," he said. "There's a vent over there."

The vents were the only way that Sun was sure could certainly lead them into the biology lab. They couldn't break the padlock without being noticed, nor could they get in through the boarded-up windows. "It'll be like a spy movie," Sun said, but Blake didn't laugh. She just looked up at the vent. It was too high up to reach.

"I hope you aren't heavy," Sun said.

Blake furrowed her brows. "What?"

Sun knelt down below the vent and motioned for her to come closer. "Let me help you up. Ladies first."

"..."

"I'm not trying to look up your skirt, okay? I'm just trying to help."

Blake raised an eyebrow, but then she understood, what he was trying to do. Her weight was on Sun's back for a mere moment as she used him as a stepping stone before she had jumped up to the vent. Once she had a grip, she moved like a cat. The vent was small on the inside with barely enough space for Blake, and Sun knew that neither of them would be able to turn around inside. He wasn't afraid, though - they only had to crawl a few meters at most. He straightened his back and considered how to make the jump when Neptune poked his shoulder.

"You need help?" he asked, nodding towards the vent.

"I'll manage," Sun said. "You need to be careful with that arm."

"I can do it," Neptune insisted, but Sun was already running. His hands reached the rough metal edges of the vent, and the hollow _clang_ echoed in the hallway. But Sun held on where he could, trying to pull himself up. Unexpectedly, he felt someone pushing him at his feet, and he made it without much trouble. As soon as he was well inside, he thanked Neptune, his voice distorted by his surroundings.

"You're heavy!" came the answer.

"Just knock on the door if you see anyone coming."

When there was no response, Sun took the silence to mean that he was getting a thumbs up and continued onwards. He could see Blake's boots, but not the rest of her as the vent made a ninety-degree turn. The air inside was warmer and dryer than in the rest of the building, and Sun didn't like the small, cramped space one bit.

"You see anything?" he asked Blake, but she didn't answer. She just crawled forwards, and Sun followed her carefully. Now wasn't the time for talking - his words echoed until they were too loud - and every movement made some metal scrape and bang against something else where he couldn't see it. When he finally got around the corner and could see an opening, he dropped down after Blake without a second thought.

The lab was pretty much like how they had left it.

  
Blake took her time investigating the items on the tables and studying the pictures on the wall, regarding them like one would a museum exhibit. Sun looked at the headshots of criminals and the reports written in boring - or perhaps coded - language that he didn't bother with. The thing they were searching for did not seem to be found on the wall. Blake followed the red string with her fingertips, moving quickly from clue to clue, nothing betraying whatever she might think. Sun focused his attention on the rest of the room - there had to be _something_. The dead animals stared at him.

The teacher's desk was the biggest and oldest piece of furniture. That was a place worth looking at. The top of it was bare save for a few notebook pages with scribbled notes that Sun read, but discarded. He checked the drawers, but was rewarded with nothing but a rattling sound.

"Locked," he stated. His voice sounded too loud in the quiet room. That and Blake's footsteps were the only sounds.

Moving on to the student's desks and the closet in the back on which the animals stood, he found nothing of interest. All that was left was the apparatus opposite the door. And that looked kind of daunting.

"You know what this is?" Sun whispered.

Blake stepped closer and shook her head. Standing on the opposite side of the table, he saw her distorted through a labyrinth of glass. Pipes and flasks and liquids - but nothing was currently boiling or flowing. The experiment seemed huge in scale, but dormant, if not dead. Surrounding it were coffee-stained notes. They all spoke of failure and frustration: important ingredients were missing, reactions were not understood, the virus was too dangerous to work with.

Sun was about to leave the thing alone when something caught his eye. Amidst all the shining glass reflecting the few rays of daylight that slipped through the boarded-up windows, there was a pair of keys. Small, silver keys. Sun reached out for them when he heard a horrible sound.

Footsteps.

Right outside the door.

He looked at Blake who in turn looked around the room for hiding places. Going back into the vent would take too long, make too much noise. They both scrambled to get away, Blake ducking under the table. Sun pressed himself flat against the back of the closet, hoping that he wouldn't be seen. It wasn't a good plan.

Someone pulled the handle.

The door didn't open.

Sun controlled his breathing. If worst came to worst and they came in, they were only humans.

"Is this locked? This is really heavy..."

A woman's voice. Nobody Sun knew. It was Neptune's voice that answered her, and his words became harder and harder to hear as they moved away from the door.

"Yeah, you really can't go in there. I think you want to take a left over there..."

Sun breathed a sigh of relief and let go of the tension in his shoulders as he stepped out from his hiding place. Blake, too, looked relieved even if it was hidden behind her usual expressionless mask. Sun sauntered over to the table and picked up the key, throwing it up into the air and catching it again. "I knew it was nothing to be worried about," he boasted. Blake crossed her arms, not impressed.

"Try the drawers," she said dryly.

Sun shrugged in response and went over to the desk, taking hold of the cold metal handle of the drawer once more. The key fit perfectly, and when the clack of the lock opening rang out, Sun looked up at Blake. She nodded impatiently for him to continue. Inside the drawer Sun found a couple of folders that he pulled out onto the table as well as a few old-fashioned fountain pens, a bottle of ink and a gun. Sun did not touch the weapon, but everything else he scrutinised as carefully as he could. Blake was beside him within seconds, but she had moved silently as a cat. As they stood there, flipping through the paper, he looked at her and found that she was a black and white silhouette and he was a sunbeam, his clothes and hair still somehow bright even in the half-dark of the hidden lab. She was beautiful, but it was not a beauty that distracted him or beckoned for him to touch - he was content with holding the yellowed pages made soft by age and the newer, stiff drawings in either hand, content with the sprawling blueprinted world by his fingertips. There were things bigger than Blake, but he knew it was unusual for him to be Able to keep such a perspective. Maybe the reason was the feeling of lives at stake prickling under his skin or the presence outside the door. He imagined that he could hear Neptune's footsteps as the he paced back and forth outside the door.

The thought reminded Sun to hurry up. He found the blueprints they had been looking for in the very last folder and showed them to Blake who nodded. Sun recognized the fence and the surrounding alleys from the drawing. It was not made by an architect, but someone who had kept the pace under surveillance; notes had been added, often ending with question marks. "Entrance?", "Weak point?, "Dogs?" they said. Sun folded the drawing up and tried to put everything back where he found it. Blake was constantly looking towards the door, but Sun was still confident as he closed the drawer and returned the key to where they found it, all at a leisurely pace. He then pulled a chair up to the vents entrance.

"I'll go first this time," he said. "Don't you worry."

All he got in return was a hissed "Quiet!"

This time getting in was easier, but he managed to bruise his knee on the way. He came to the conclusion that he didn't like crawling around in small tunnels one bit. It was awfully cumbersome and claustrophobic. His only solace was that he did not have to worry about arms or hands reaching up towards him, dead, unfeeling skin not caring for the metal - if the vent broke under his weight, he'd be helpless on the floor - but there was nothing, he reminded himself. Everything in the building was alive. He had to keep crawling. He moved fast and heard several loud noises as Blake joined him in the vent. Finally, he saw light in front of him and dropped down at the other end. Upon standing up, he saw Neptune coming to meet him, visibly nervous but not trying to let it show as he placed his hands on his hips and said,

"Nice. Did you find it?"

"Yep!" Sun answered, showing Neptune the folded piece of paper and returning it to his pocket. "Our chances just got a whole lot better."

When Blake joined them as well they were all antsy to move away from the scene of the crime, but they all had to resist the urge to run or even walk briskly to not look suspicious. Especially when people began passing them by. But Sun walked with pride - why shouldn't he after a heist well executed? He didn't know how to make Blake join him in celebrating as she was cold as ever, but he looked at Neptune and raised his hand.

"High five?"

Neptune answered with action, high-fiving Sun without a second thought. "You did it," he said, barely restrained laughter in his voice. _I-can't-believe-we-got-away-with-it-_ laughter.

"We moved as a team," Sun said, nodding sagely. "Where would we be if not for our lookout?"

"Well..." Neptune began, but Sun cut him off.

"Is your arm still okay?"

"Yeah, I'll... live."

"Anyway. It was teamwork. We were team... hmm..."

"Team what?" Blake asked, raising a single, thin eyebrow.

"Team... SNP? BSP?" Sun said, looking from one ally to the other. "Man, now I'm really glad you're here, Neptune."

"Why?"

"Otherwise me and Blake would've been team BS."  
—

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's team BS as in bullshit, in case someone didn't get it.  
> Anyway, about the late update... Life happened. Life will probably continue to happen. But I'm working - got the next 2 chapters typed out and waiting for editing. If only writing wasn't hard.  
> ( I hate pacing and pacing hates me. )


	5. Breaking and entering

During the hours before dusk, the map passed from hand to hand countless times, each holder considering their options.

In the end, they managed to make a plan between visits to Weiss' bedside and various jobs undertaken to preserve their cover. All the waiting had taken its toll on Ruby's team. The leader herself was was more anxious than anyone else, and she was the first through the fence when they left. She wore a dark cloak that, along with her small size, made her hard to see in the dark that had descended over the town. Yang and Blake followed her while Sun and Neptune came last, closing the door quietly behind them. So far, so good - no guard had spotted them, no voices were calling out for them. In fact, it was horribly quiet. Everything appeared blue and black before them as the small group wandered down the streets, all weapons out, all eyes open. The zombies had no problem finding them by sound or smell, and that put them at a terrifying advantage.

Even though they had only been walking for thirty minutes at most, it felt like they were the only living people on earth. And above them, the stars shined indifferently. No light pollution dimmed their glow, no planes added their blinking red lights to the patterns of the sky. Perhaps a few satellites were still in orbit, circling the world and sending signals that would never be used. But despite all the emptiness around, Sun felt bigger, not smaller. The dark of the night was sharpening his senses. The clack - clack - clack of the end of his staff hitting the asphalt as he used it as a walking stick became the drumbeat that they all walked in time to. Everyone knew where they were going, and though only Sun and Neptune really knew something about what they were facing, they all had the plan memorised.

Yang had volunteered to go beat down the main gate right off the bat. She was not afraid of barbed wire fences or any bodyguards that might be in her way - especially not as Blake and Ruby were willing to accompany her. They would be an efficient distraction while Sun went through a small back entrance on the other side of the building or, in case it was locked, through a window. Once inside, he would search for a lab. There was ony one place in the building where it _could_ be - the entire first floor was devoted to shipping and storage, and only one room on the second floor was big enough. The cure, or at least something that could help them make one, would be in there. Notes, plans, syringes... Sun ran through the options in his head. He wondered if any of these strange terrorists would be willing to run the risk of the cure getting lost or confused with something else. If everything else failed, he'd go for whatever seemed most valuable to them. The trio of girls concerned themselves mainly with their own, no less difficult, job, and Neptune...

Neptune was just sort of there. If he could, Sun would have ordered Neptune to stay back at the camp and do what was best for him. He wasn't entirely useless, but it was an extremely risky move to bring him along out into the fight and fear that was surely waiting for them. Neptune's arm was still in a sling, although he wasn't - or at least pretended not to be - in much pain anymore. Sun had tried to explain, but Neptune had said that he wouldn't have been able to sit idly by while Weiss was in danger and the rest of them were out fighting for their lives. They had agreed that he was definitely not going to join Ruby, Yang and Blake and their frontal assault, and he wasn't going alone... which meant that he was joining Sun.

Sun couldn't help but worry about how they would fare. 

But no matter how Sun felt about the whole situation, they arrived at the facility all the same. The road was still empty, the whole block still quiet, but the wind was howling, having grown stronger and stronger as they worked their way towards the outskirts of the town. White trashbags were picked up by the gusts, creating ghost-like, rattling apparitions. Some twenty meters from the building itself, they stopped. Ruby, Yang and Blake were to head directly north while Sun and Neptune went the long way around the block in order to reach the back of the building. Standing in front of each other for a brief moment, it was hard to discern any faces in the dark. Sun felt like he knew what expressions they all wore anyway.

"Let's do this." Yang said, raising a fist.

"Yep," Sun added, doing the same - it was nothing they couldn't handle. This time, they came prepared.

Ruby nodded, her "Yes," not sounding as convinced, while Blake remained quiet.

Neptune motioned for Sun to come with him, and they all parted ways.

 

The backdoor wasn't locked. Why would it be, Sun thought, when there were nobody around but dead people?

They entered a hallway, and even though there was nothing immediately odd about it, Sun still felt as if he had stepped into a space ship. The walls were so white that they seemed alien, unreal. Bright light left him no shadow to hide in. There were doors on either side and they all looked unwelcoming, worn and locked. Sun took a single step forward and tried to remember where to go. It should be down that hallway, then to the right... Or was it left? Which way was he facing?

He listened, but the only sounds were a dull hum somewhere behind the concrete walls, like that of a large machine or a failing ventilation system. As if the facility was struggling to draw breath. Try as he might, Sun could no longer hear any sound of battle from the front gates.

When he turned around the first corner, he was ready to stand face to face with a guard, but the corridor remained empty. Neptune pointed to a door, and tried to open it, but found that it was locked.

"Padlock," Sun stated, gesturing towards the offending object. "Again."

"I swear it's that way," Neptune said. "It's gotta be."

"Then we'll have to force it open," Sun said, taking a step back to look the door over. "Should we try kicking?"

Neptune shrugged. "Be my guest."

Sun took a deep breath, aimed his boot straight for the lock. Then, with one single kick, he smashed his foot into it with as much strength as he could muster. It made a loud, satisfying noise, but the lock was still hanging on.

Neptune looked like he was about to open his mouth when Sun kicked it again. "I won't - be stopped - by a goddamn - door!" The words came out a little louder than he would have liked, but the lock came off all the same. It fell from the door to the tiles at their feet. Sun looked at his handiwork, feeling a little proud. "There we go."

Neptune spent no time wallowing in pride or relief. Instead he pushed ahead, opening the door. They were turning right, into what Sun hoped would lead them towards the laboratory - but it was yet another hallway. This time, he got a feeling that they were on the right track: signs on the walls warned of restricted access and security measures, some of the letters scratched away. The air had another scent to it, a smell that was almost sweet.

"Think it might be gas?" Neptune asked, his voice but a whisper.

"We've got no choice but to go on," Sun answered. They walked in step, the sounds echoing off the walls. Sun was holding his breath as he opened the first of four doors slowly. It was eerily empty. The air smelled of barely restrained anger, like oil and alcohol. And slowly, cages and bloody tables appeared out of the shadows, complete with straps that might have been used to hold a human being fast. He wondered if that human had been living or dead. There were trays of syringes and bottles of liquid, but with a layer of dust covering everything.

He saw tables upon tables covered in equipment that he didn't recognize nor understand, he saw pipes and chemistry - a coward's way to make a war. Sun took a couple of steps into the room and looked back at Neptune, saw his friend looking determined even as he kept looking out of the corners of his eyes.

"Let's move on, Sun," Neptune said.

"Don't you think it might be in here?"

"This whole lab looks abandoned. There ought to be some more... Science-y, clean place, right?"

"Could be."

Sun eyed the test tubes and flasks containing coloured liquids and edged his way towards the far wall. Two large windows let Sun gaze out into the night.There were lights down by the street - sudden explosions and harsh flashes of white. Sun found himself staring transfixed at the sight.

"You can almost see them." Neptune joined him at the window. He placed a hand on the cool glass, and Sun saw the water condensing around his fingertips.

"Yeah," he agreed. The dark outside and the harsh light inside made for an intriguing contrast and a web of shadows over Neptune's face that made every angle of his cheekbones, eerie line of his jaw appear that much sharper. "Did you do this for Weiss?" Sun asked. "Risk your life even though you didn't have to?"

"I don't think this is the time to talk about that," Neptune said, drawing back his hand and letting it fall limply down by his side. "Maybe we should split up. It'd be faster."

Sun wasn't about to press for answers when Neptune actually had a point. "Are you sure you can-"

"Calm down, dude," Neptune interrupted. "I think everyone here is too distracted at the moment to come after us."

Sun hesitated before going back into the hallway and in through another closed door, this one marked "A2". This lab _was_ cleaner. The counters were white as bone, the silver blinders were closed and the blackboard was wiped clean of all writing. Sun noticed the notes scattered about, some stained or torn, and he gave them all a cursory glance. He found himself drawn to a table on the far right. Placed on it was a small box.

He lifted it gently up. It was made of metal, thin and cold to the touch. He opened it slowly and found that it contained a mess of more notes, scraps and something smaller, something hidden beneath the first layer of paper. Sun wrapped his fingers around the tiny object and brought it out into the light.

It was a sealed test tube, not labelled. But when Sun held it, he felt as if he had victory in his hand, as if this alone would solve their troubles.

Sun kept the test tube in his hand, not daring to put the fragile glass into his pocket where it might break. He headed towards the door with brisk, determined steps - only to hear the sound he had been dreading. The sound of another person's footsteps, another person's voice. It reminded him of the same situation back at the camp, but now it was deadly serious. Even though Sun knew what was coming, he was still unable to defend himself when he was attacked so suddenly - a man appeared, and in one quick movement he had taken hold of Sun who could do nothing more than emit a surprised yelp as his arm was wrought back behind his back, his gun torn from his hand. It clattered as it hit the ground.

"Should have known there would be more _rats_ around here," the man hissed. Sun strained in order to turn his head and see his attacker's face.

He saw a face he recognized from the posters on Ozpin's wall.

He saw Torchwick.

Torchwicks grasp of his arm sent a jolt of pain along Sun's spine. He fought to get loose, jabbing his attacker with his elbow and kicking after his legs, but Torchwick only sneered and kicked away Sun's gun as he took a step back. "Brat," he muttered.

"Asshole," Sun said.

Torchwick retorted with a yank, pressing Sun up against one of the tables so that it's edge was digging into Sun's stomach. Sun was still struggling to get free and, noticing Torchwick attempting to retrieve an item from the pocket of his lab coat, saw an oppotunity to surprise him. Acting suddenly and with all the force he could muster, he managed to get his arm free. He pushed Torchwick away from him before grabbing him by the collar and sending him slamming first into the table, rewarding him with a yelp of pain, then down onto the floor. Sun was about to pull out his staff and gloat when his feet were suddenly kicked away from under him, leaving him in mid air for one long second before his jaw hit the floor. Torchwick was upon him within seconds, the two of them exchanging punches. Torchwick was the weaker one, Sun knew, and he managed to pull him down, roll around and get on top of the older man. He raised his fist for one final punch that would knock his opponent out cold, and he raised his voice, too - "Neptune, get in here!"

But as soon as Torchwick saw him distracted, looking towards the door, he reached out and yanked Sun's head down by his hair. With his other hand, he did _something_ that caused a sharp pain in Sun's neck, making the younger man yelp. When Torchwick withdrew his hand, Sun saw a hypodermic needle gleaming. And it hurt, too.

"What the hell-" Sun began, Torchwick knew how to use his brief window of oppotunity to land a perfect punch right to Sun's head that made everything blurry for a moment. Sun felt himself being thrown off of Torchwick who was now standing up, kicking Sun while he was down.

"You cheated-" Sun began, being cut off by a boot making contact with his already sore arm.

"Don't talk to me about fair play," Torchwick said mockingly. The next kick hit Sun in his chest, leaving him gasping for breath-

"Hey you!" Neptune's voice was a blessing for Sun who craned his neck to see his ally coming to his rescue, gun pointed at Torchwick who quickly realized that he had no time to be kicking his enemy. Before Neptune was ready to press the trigger, Torchwick had begun running and had pushed him aside. Neptune collided with the door frame, letting out a gasp of pain while Torchwick rushed past him, out the door, down the hallway.

"Get him!" Sun ordered, raising himself first to his knees, then to his feet. The thought of that man taking his small hope away was too much to bear.

Neptune did not waste any time; within moments he was running along side Sun who barely caught a glimpse of Torchwick turning a corner.

Following this brief glimpses and the sound of footsteps, Sun made it to a flight of stairs leading upwards. His lungs were hurting in ways he had never imagined they could, but he took the first step, then the second - then he was running, the sound of his own pained breaths all he could hear. He shook his head in an attempt to regain his focus: he was not going to be beaten by someone as fragile and smug as Torchwick. A look over his shoulder assured him that Neptune was keeping up, and then, when he looked forward again, he saw the exit. He stumbled out onto a rooftop.

Torchwick was standing some fifteen meters away, looking up a the sky. Sun felt the surprisingly strong, cold wind surround him, threatening to make him lose his balance. Far below them, pale white light allowed him to see the girls fighting.

Sun didn't have time to worry about that now. Neptune was beside him, Torchwick was in front of him.

And while Sun stood still, he saw Torchwick smile. Why was he smiling? Sun figured Torchwick didn't have a gun, otherwise he would have been shot already. So why wasn't he bothered by being cornered in a dead end?

"It's over!" Sun yelled, taking a step forward. "Give us the cure, Torchwick."

"Brats," came the response, though it was difficult to hear with the wind howling around them. "It's not over until I say it is!"

It was then Sun realized that what he had been feeling wasn't wind at all. It was the warning before a large, black helicopter descended upon them, hovering by the edge of the roof. It was coming for Torchwick, and Sun knew they had but mere moments to stop him from getting away. He turned to Neptune as fast as he could-

"We've got to try," he said, "You've got your gun - Shoot him. I know you won't hit me."

Sun did not wait for a response, but he did see Neptune taking aim. Sun leapt forward, using his staff for leverage and crossing the distance between him and the helicopter in seconds. Torchwick had taken the first step aboard it, and the wind was only getting harder and harder to fight as Sun heard the shot ring out, followed by a yell of anguish as Torchwick faltered, losing his balance. The cure was still in his hand, gleaming in the light of the pale moon, but a moment later, Sun could see Torchwick's expression turning to shock as a gunshot pierced through his arm and the small test tube fell.

Sun prayed that his reflexes would not fail him now.

He jumped and landed on hard concrete, feeling splinters and gravel rasp against his skin, his nails burrowing and _something_ inside of him breaking as fell. He curled up around the small object in order to protect it, to keep it safe from the rough men speaking above him and the gusts of wind hitting him again and again. His eyes were tightly shut, but when he opened them, he saw Torchwick scared: the next shot Neptune made would end his life.

So the helicopter departed, the sound of it deafening, but welcome. Sun saw it retreating into the dark, and he slowly regained the feeling in his limbs as he watched, but he did not yet feel like he could move. He followed the curves of the glass in his hands with his thumb. It was warm, absorbing heat from his skin.

He was scared that his smallest movement would break it.

He sat up slowly, and as he realized the danger had passed, the pain he felt from his chest intensified. He took a long, shaky breath and tried to locate Neptune, finding him still standing by the entrance.

"I knew you could hit him," Sun said, but the words did not come out as loud as he had intended them to be. He coughed before continuing, "Help me up?"

Neptune's gaze was wide-eyed, as if he was seeing some danger than Sun could not. He took one slow step, dragging his feet. Then another. "I..." He began, shaking his head.

"What's the matter?" Sun asked, a hundred possibilities rushing through his mind. Neptune could have been infected. He could have stumbled upon something in that other lab - why had Sun ever left him alone - or maybe he had been hurt in some other way? Had he been shot again? Had he -

"I'm..." Neptune said, making his way ever so slowly towards Sun. "I'm a bit afraid of heights."

He stretched out his hand for Sun to take, and Sun smiled as he took it. "You're safe," he said with confidence.

Neptune said nothing, but he moved forward even though there was still an air of nervousness about him.

They made their way down safely, not looking back into the ominous labs.

Not looking at the way they came in, but headed straight for the front entrance where the sound of fighting had ebbed away.

They found Ruby, Yang and Blake sitting together, their backs leaning against a wall, all bloody, but smiling. The ground had marks as if a great fire had been burning, and there were holes in the walls where bullets had penetrated them, but dead guards laid before them. Cinder was not to be seen, but Sun had not problem with celebrating a smaller victory as he approached the girls, showing them the spoils of their battle. Ruby's eyes lit up, and even Blake looked joyful.

"You're welcome," Sun said, smirking for a moment before adding, "Just joking. This was a team effort."

"Go us," Ruby said, her voice tired. She led the way as they left the facility, as happy as the rest of them with leaving the horrid place behind.

“Cinder got away,” Blake pointed out.

"Dosen't matter. Did any of you get hurt?" Neptune asked.

"Broken wrist," Yang said. "Ouch. Some bruises. Nothing major."

"Not sure yet," Blake stated. "Burns."

"I got beat up pretty bad," Sun said, rolling his shoulders and recoiling at the pain in his side. "Kinda embarrassing, really. But he was using dirty tricks. He had this needle on him - jabbed it right into my neck."

"You should be grateful he didn't get lucky and hit a vein," Yang offered.

Neptune looked at him, clearly worried. "Do you need any help getting back?"

"I can walk." Sun felt a pang of pain in his side and a throbbing somewhere in his guts, but he didn't let that bother him.

They walked in a row, silent as ghosts, until they were back at the gates, their feet dragging and their heads filled with nothing but thoughts of blissful sleep awaiting them. But they were not allowed to slip in quietly as they had hoped. Instead, the was quite a crowd waiting for them all, and the sight made Sun feel like someone had put a weight on his shoulders. He was not in the mood for the inquisition. As they came closer, Sun identified Ozpin, Glynda and - he rolled his eyes - Cardin among those waiting, and he guessed the others were Cardin's crew and perhaps a few interested, random bystanders. Ozpin and Glynda were really the only ones he was worried about. The old fear of dictatorial, armed leaders flared up again, because waiting like this meant that Ozpin must have found out about the break-in and subsequent excursion.

Sun clenched his hands as he walked into the camp. Despite the circumstances, he wasn't worried: he had dealt with Torchwick, so he could handle this.

Then he took another step forward and feel down onto his knees hitting the ground retching and gasping for breath not understanding what was happening - he threw up on the black asphalt and on his hands and he looked at his stained palms and then out onto the now faceless, blurry mass of people - and then he knew that the syringe hadn't been empty.

Then _he_ felt empty, too.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. But now it is time to move on to the next - which will probably be the last.


	6. Death, Life, Living

When he came to, he recognized the coarse, stiff sheets, the smell, the voices conversing around him.

He was in the infirmary.

And it was dark and it was night and it was all so damn unfair and his mouth - he realized he had bit his tongue somewhere along the way – his mouth tasted like bile.  
  
Before opening his eyes, he just laid there, feeling. All was heat and his own sweat and hopelessness. There was also a hand holding his, but it was a tight, too-hot grip. When he looked, nothing came into focus at first; everything remained grey and blurry - but the splash of blue in to his side was unmistakable. Sun squeezed back at Neptune's hand, not minding it... Actually, he realized he wanted nothing more than for  
Neptune to keep holding it, to keep touching him in whatever little way he could think of.  
  
But he heard Neptune say, "He's awake," and then the hand darted away, out of reach and leaving Sun's too empty.  
  
Sun tried to see who was in the room with him, but everything remained unclear and blurry to his tired eyes. As he turned his head, he recognized Ozpin's silhouette against the dirty-white wall where Neptune, too, stood awaiting orders. He had pulled his goggles down for some reason, or maybe they had just ended up like that in the confusion. They made his eyes look weird. Yellow.  
  
"What...?" Sun began, not knowing where he intended to end the question. His lips were dry.  
  
"You're infected," Ozpin said.  
  
The words fell like an iron weight on Sun's chest, making it harder to breathe. Like a murder of crows parting ways, his thoughts scattered and darted from horror to refusal to accept and back again as he faced the death sentence.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Neptune added. "Try to sleep."  
  
Even though he sounded sincere, Sun felt like worrying was the only thing he _could_ do. But worry was tiring and his body was already exhausted; as much as Sun wanted to fight against the fatigue, he soon found himself drawn back into the current of red and black dreams of flesh and tar and places he had seen in the goddamned facility.  
  
It felt like he woke a thousand times that night, but every time it was brief. He threw his head above water to register pain and blurry images, sounds and a peculiar feeling like the building around him was breathing. He couldn't be alone in his own bed. In his own head.  
  
He became afraid of opening his eyes. Wouldn't ever admit it, but he was. When he tried, something terrifying was inevitably waiting for him on the other side of the goddamned curtain. He kept thinking he saw that one zombie from the parking lot, and the vision was so real he could have sworn he could smell the vomit. And if it wasn't that one specific zombie, it were others, different variations on the same theme of exposed organs, rattling groans and dead hands reaching for him. He wished that he could draw the curtain back so that there would be no shadow play to frighten him, but on the other hand it seemed like the curtain was the one barrier that the monsters could not pass through. In moments of clarity, he knew he was just imagining things, that the monsters were visitors or nothing at all, but the moments were just that - brief and scattered in between the longer periods of being completely gone. At some point during the grey morning, he dug his nails into the soft, sweaty flesh of his palms, halfway between one place and another when he heard the brief, crackling sound of a page turning, the snap of a book being closed, the groan of a chair as someone leaned forward. Those were new sounds, but Sun had no reason to believe they were real.  
  
"Come on, Sun." It was Neptune's voice and it felt like it was the first real words he had heard for hours. "Live."  
  
Sun kept his eyes closed, couldn't muster the strength to open them or move his useless body, all heavy limbs and laboured breathing. He had never really liked following other people's orders, but that one command was one he could heed. When he heard the voice again, it was as faint as all his other hallucinations, barely a breath.  
  
"I love you," it said.  
  
Sun wanted to hear it again, to stay there, but no matter how much he tried to hang on, hours suddenly passed in the blink of an eye. Time _had_ to have passed, Sun reasoned, because he could open his eyes and see that the light that came in through the one window was golden-orange, giving the room a sepia coloured glow. For a while, he just watched the dust in the air, feeling... Nothing. His entire body had been wrecked with fear, and now it was gone, leaving him empty, waiting. Ready for some grand feeling he had not discovered yet, he was sure. Maybe there'd be joy later, or anger or a myriad of others, but now, there was nothing.  
  
He tried to sit up. He got dizzy almost immediately.  
  
But his head was clear. He wondered how much time, how much care had been needed to get him back to that state. He could now disregard the fever-dreams, but in doing so, he felt something other than relief building inside him - a light melancholy sadness. Had he - had he wanted Neptune to love him? Was that it?  
And what if he did? A voice in his head asked him. It was so very easy to die, so he might as well be honest with himself, live fully. Answer the questions.  
  
"Good evening," a voice said. Not one in his head, not Neptune's.  
  
Looking around, Sun saw that the only other person in the infirmary was Ozpin, who was sitting with his back towards Sun at a desk. Having heard Sun moving around, he stood up with a syringe in his hand. As he sat down next to Sun's bed, he found medical alcohol and cotton from the bed side table, and Sun realized that it wasn't the first time Ozpin had injected him.  
As if noticing Sun's glances, Ozpin said, "It's time for another dose. So far you seem to be getting better. Stay still."  
Sun felt the cold alcohol wash over a spot on his lower right arm. Sun looked and saw rows of small red marks. It felt like it was happening to someone else.  
  
"How long was I out?" he asked.  
  
Ozpin tested the needle. "About... Eleven hours now."  
  
"That's..." Sun began, pausing as he felt the sting. "That's a long time."  
  
"You needed the sleep, it seems. And you should try to sleep some more."  
  
”I saw a bunch of weird shit.”  
  
”Delusions are a common symptom,” Ozpin stated. ”They happen a little later if the infected does not succumb to the fever.”  
  
"But the drug is working?"

"Seems that way. Weiss is responding as well."  
  
Sun exhaled, leaning back into his pillow. "Think I'll be walking again soon?"  
  
"I'm positive. Now try to sleep."  
  
Sun watched Ozpin's back until a different kind of sleep, dreamless and light blue, enveloped him.

  
By the time Sun could sit up, it had become morning again. He felt less sore, more awake, and when the girl in the pink dress whose name, he learned, was Nora brought him a bowl of mystery-stew he found that he was hungry. He ate and drank until he was satisfied, and even though the tastes were a bit off and the fever was still hanging around the back of his mind, he felt better. The little red dots where the needle had injected him had multiplied, like tally marks counting down until the dead finally loosened their grasp of him.  
  
And then came the moment where Sun could straighten his back and declare:  
"It's 5pm.” His words made Nora look up from the pills she had been sorting and turn around on her swivel chair so that she was looking at him, her hands in her lap.  
  
"Is anything the matter?" she asked.  
  
"I just want to... Go somewhere." Sun sat up quickly - perhaps a bit _too_ quickly - and scanned the room for his clothes. "I can't lay in bed for days on end."  
  
"You're still sick."  
  
"I'm better!"  
  
"...To be honest, I think you're better too," She picked up a pencil, twirling it between he fingers. Then she shrugged, saying, "If you can walk, I suppose you can go out for fifteen minutes. But if Ozpin asks, I didn't know about it!"  
  
Sun breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."  
  
"But only if you can walk properly!"  
  
Sun swung his feet over the edge of the bed and made contact with the cold floor. His legs were a bit shaky, but he managed to stand and then take a step towards the pile of clothes on the bedside table. (”You really can walk! Yay!” Nora commented.) He put on shoes and a shirt ("I had it cleaned for you!”) in addition to the pants he had already been wearing.  
  
"Where's my weapons?" he asked, looking around for them.  
  
"You staff's in the corner. I don't know where your gun's at, I'll admit. But I don't think it was stolen; Ozpin wouldn't have let that happen."  
  
"Huh."  
  
Sun did find the staff, and leaning heavily on that he left the infirmary wishing he could vow to never return to the place.  
  
The hallways were a welcome change, the lights a bit brighter and the sounds a bit clearer. He had an inkling of an idea about where he was supposed to go. He was heading outside, and even if he didn't find what he was looking for, he'd still get wondrous fresh air. And he inhaled deeply when he stepped through the doors and saw the sky, grey as ever, above him, felt the wind against his skin. He walked downhill and around the building until he saw the contours of Neptune's little workbench, a tent between three or fours others where people were crafting and building.  
  
As Sun had hoped, Neptune was there, bent over the table and working with some small mechanism. He was using both arms, the sling nowhere to be seen. He did not notice Sun approaching.  
  
"Hey Nep."  
  
Neptune didn't look up at first. He slowly put down his tools and took his tinted goggles off before making eye contact with Sun, a wide smile on his lips.  
  
"You made it!" he laughed, "The Sun has risen again."  
  
"Shut up," Sun said jokingly. "You're looking better too. No sling."  
  
"Yeah, that. That happened... I'm honoured the first thing you do is visit me."  
  
"I was actually looking for my gun," Sun said. "Thought you might have seen it."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Sun found a small stool in a corner and pulled it over to the table so that he could sit opposite from Neptune. He placed both arms on the table and leant in. "What is it you're tinkering with?"  
  
"...Your gun."  
  
Sun clicked his tongue. "Knew it."  
  
"You can have it back. I know you've got some separation anxiety when it comes to your firearms."  
  
The comment made Sun look down at the partly disassembled gun on the table, then at Neptune's hands. "Nah. It's okay," he then said, somewhat taken aback by his own words. "I'm not going to use it for the next few days anyway. Just hurry up. Make it better."  
  
"Thanks." Neptune went back to work without delay, his fingers working deftly, smeared with oil. He glanced down, only occasionally looking back up at Sun as he spoke. "Man am I glad to see you. I was really scared there for a while."  
  
"Have some confidence in me."  
  
"I do."  
  
There was a small pause after Neptune's words during which Sun remembered what he thought he had heard back in the infirmary. The tone of Neptune's voice was exactly the same as when he had whispered _I love you_. Sun realized in that moment that he wouldn't mind if that had been real and not a hallucination. That he wanted to hear Neptune say it now that he was irrefutably awake. He took a step back, slowly, as his stomach suddenly felt empty yet fluttering, when he started to feel hollow yet warm. It looked to him like Neptune had all but forgotten him, engrossed in his work with his goggles back on, but maybe the act of disassembling Sun's weapon as an attempt to disassemble Sun himself and get closer, get to know the innermost parts of his mechanisms. And then Sun's mind went to entirely other places, because recognizing that he could like Neptune, that Neptune might, just might, like _him_ conjured up images over which he had no control - images of Neptune's oil-stained fingers doing entirely different things. Any other day Sun would have gone with the flow and taken a chance, but this particular day he was exhausted already and found it hard to keep his thoughts straight for long at a time, so he excused himself, saying something about being tired and going back to rest for a little bit.  
  
After being asked if they'd meet later, Neptune gave him a thumbs up and Sun clenched his hands into fists, thinking. Back in the infirmary, he did not collapse onto his bed. Instead, he sat there, watching Nora work, watching the beam of sunlight make its way across the wall. He laid down slowly, not bothering to get under the covers. The sunlight washed over him for a glorious hour where all was warm and his thoughts were fuzzy and feverish at once. 

* * *

 

"Come," a voice said.  
  
Sun opened them to see a dark room and a single figure clad in white. Her dress had been cared for, having not grown dirty - or maybe, Sun thought, she was a ghost. But the hand pulling him up was real, cold, small.  
  
"Weiss, I assume," he said, flashing her a (he hoped) confident, dashing smile.  
  
"They told me to ask if you wanted to come outside," she responded coldly, letting go of him and crossing her arms as soon as he was standing up.  
  
"Who is 'they'?"  
  
"Blake and the rest of them."  
  
"Do they have food?"  
  
Weiss shook her head and led the way out. "Sheesh. Boys," she said. Then her tone grew warmer. "I suppose I should thank you, too, for what you've done."  
  
"Looks like you've recovered well."  
  
"I'm excellent." As to demonstrate the point she curtsied briefly before him.  
  
"I bet they were all glad to see you back."  
  
"Naturally. They're going to want to see you too. Are you still running a fever?"  
  
"Kind of, I think. Nothing I can't handle."  
  
"Again, _boys_. It's always nothing you can't handle. But I digress. This way."

  
  
They had walked outside where the sky was turning deep blue and the air was growing colder and where Sun saw fires lit, shadows flickering over the brick walls and the wind playing with the grass. He could discern the voices now so that he could find the ones that mattered and, with Weiss at his side, follow them to a secluded bonfire. Ruby, Yang and Blake sat in a semi-circle, Blake on a low chair and the others on quilts and blankets. Before Weiss went over to sit by them, he looked her in the eyes and nodded at her and she nodded back. No words could really express what they shared; they had lived to tell a tale few would ever know.  
  
Then, Sun's eyes darted to another person by the bonfire - Neptune.  
  
And just the sight of him sent memories flooding back into the hollow of Sun's skull, first hazy dreams and then the words, clear as day.  
Sun knew his heart was beating quicker, that his breath was caught in his throat before he forced himself to exhale. He put on his best friendly, open face so it wouldn't sound too serious when he said, "Neptune, can we talk, like, one on one?"  
  
"...Sure," Neptune answered, getting up with a quizzical look on his face. Sun wondered what Neptune was thinking. He led his friend away from the fire until he thought they were out of hearing range out by the wall of the building. Sun had his back up against the uneven, weathered bricks. There was barely enough light left on the sky to illuminate the two of them, to let him see Neptune's face. It wouldn't be the case for much longer. And when Neptune turned to face him, Sun noticed that the look in his eyes was unmistakably the look of someone in love and why hadn't Sun noticed that before? So he licked his chapped lips and cursed inwardly because the whole saturation was kind of awkward and-  
  
"I think I heard you," Sun blurted out. Despite how he had wanted the words to come out sounding somewhat casual, the involuntary deep breath before he said them and the fact that he had a hard time looking straight at Neptune told another story. "Talking to me in the infirmary. While you thought I was asleep," he clarified.  
  
"You heard... _that_?" Neptune asked, his voice faltering for a second.  
  
"Yes." The answer was the gift Sun had wanted, the assurance that it hadn't been -couldn't have been - just a dream. Not when they were looking at each other like that. Not now.  
  
Neptune spoke again, his voice quieter. "I...” He sighed, looking away. ”You're a cool guy, Sun. I like you. Really. I understand if you don't feel the same or don't want to be together or anything, I mean, I know we're becoming bros and if you want to-"  
  
"Shut up, nerd,” Sun said, prompting Neptune to look at him. He continued under his breath, ”I do.”  
  
"What?"  
  
"I like you too," Sun said. ”Simple as that.”  
  
Neptune said no more. He smiled. But Sun didn't want to stare at that smile however wonderful it was; he wanted to taste it, drink it, to -  
  
"You really should kiss me now," Sun whispered.  
  
He reached out, slowly at first, and held onto Neptune's stupid jacket, grabbing him and pulling his equally stupid face in. His back was against the wall and Neptune was more than happy to accept his invitation and bring his body closer to Sun's. He had a feeling that Neptune was trying not to push against Sun's sore ribs, but he wouldn't have cared anyway: all that mattered was that he could move his hand to pull at Neptune's hair until their lips met in a kiss that he had been waiting for without knowing it.  
  
It didn't feel like fireworks going off or his heart leaping; it felt like finding a part of him that had been missing, like coming home, like sitting down in front of a fire and feeling nothing but a pleasant, spreading heat. Neptune pulled away slowly, as if he, too could feel the warmth of the fire. Relishing in it just as Sun as. He let their foreheads touch, let Sun's fingers thread through his hair.  
  
"I like you, Sun," Neptune stated once again. His words were a sigh, a breath, filled with relief by virtue of the burden of keeping a secret leaving him. "I love you."  
When Neptune said those words that had been rattling around Sun's head for hours, some last puzzle pieces finally fit together. He saw colour bleeding in onto the dusk, and he didn't know if it was the medication or his mind, but there was gold and yellow and blue, all strong, all the colour of bright summer skies that nobody really looked at anymore.  
  
"Was it love at first sight?" Sun asked, his hand still holding onto the jacket, never intending to let go. He could see every nuance of blue in the Neptune's eyes.  
  
"Well, I did think you were hot," Neptune answered, and Sun felt his breath hot by his cheek - then Neptune was pulling away, trying to appear somewhat stoic but dissolving into joy within moments. "Just kidding. I fell in love every day, I think."

"Me too."

"Really?" Neptune asked.

"I just kind of didn't notice before now.” Sun shrugged, ”Near-death experiences do that to you." While they spoke, Neptune's hand found Sun's, their fingers entwining. Sun's skin was hard from handling the staff, and Neptune's was softer; Sun stroked his thumb over every bump and ridge he could reach. "Wow," he sighed. "I'm going to take you up on the roof and watch the sunset - or something - someday."  
  
"You did catch the whole scared-of-heights-thing, didn't you?"  
  
"Exactly,” Sun said. ”For now, I just feel like kissing you some more and then going back down where we can see and won't freeze to death, if you don't mind."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Neptune said.  
  
"I'm a tactical genius." Sun flashed him a smile, showing teeth. "And this time you don't have to be that gentle," he teased, letting Neptune push him further up against the wall. This time, it was easier for him to let go; before he knew it he could taste Neptune as he bit down on his lower lip. Sun felt something on his face and realized it was Neptune's other hand, fingers flowing from his jaw to his cheek. And then the hand was moving down, mirroring Sun's own movements as he found first Neptune's shoulders, then his chest, then his waist and then the skin underneath the unwashed, dirty t-shirt where he could feel the contour of hip bones and the familiar sensation of old, healed scars. They both wanted more than what they could have in that moment in the cold and the dark, but they both knew that it wasn't the time, nor the place. When Neptune's hand withdrew, Sun still felt the heat of his fingers against his skin like he had been branded, and he knew that the feeling carried a promise with it.  
  
For now, Sun broke off a kiss and grinned as he saw Neptune's expression: dazed and blushing and so smitten it was almost funny. But on the other hand, he supposed he looked much the same.

 

 

They made it all the way down to the bonfire before either of them remembered that they were still holding hands. By that time, the girls had noticed but the only comments were from Ruby who gave a satisfied "I knew it!" and Yang, who knocked her fists together and scowled.  
  
"I owe Blake a ration," she said. That drew a small giggle from Ruby and Weiss and a smile from Blake, who seemed content in the face of the flames.  
  
Sun's stomach felt very light. Above them, the stars were coming out one by one, and he stared at the constellations. He had never really learned their names. He kind of wanted to.  
As the girls went back to talking about whether or not they could fix Yang's busted motor bike, Neptune spoke softly to Sun.  
  
"You know what I just noticed?"  
  
"That everybody seemed to know we were into each other before I did?"  
  
"That we're full circle, kinda. Now you've saved me and I've saved you."  
  
"When did that happen?" Sun asked jokingly.  
  
"I'll admit it might not have looked as good as when you jumped down from a roof to save me from a zombie horde - who am I kidding, I always look good - but I did shoot Torchwick.” He crossed his legs, staring into the fire. ”Payback."  
  
"And now his arm is busted and yours is out of the sling," Sun said, gesturing to the arm in question. "I can't imagine being caught in a stupid cloth... Arm noose. Something."  
  
"Words fail you?"  
  
"I'm just tired."  
  
"You've slept for... About three days?"  
  
"That's what happens when you're sick." Sun watched the orange light wash over Neptune's face, over their hands. "But now I'm better," he continued, his voice cheery and his heart light. Floating.  
  
"Have you thought about what you're going to do now?"

"Stay here, I think. Probably not going to do the whole lonely wanderer thing again. Unless you came with."  
  
"Then it wouldn't be a lonely wanderer thing."

"That's the point," Sun said. He squeezed Neptune's hand.  
  
"I've actually got an idea, once you're-"  
  
"Hey lovebirds!" Yang exclaimed, cutting Neptune off. "Stop talking sweet nothings and help us out over here!"  
  
"She says she could win a fight against a bear," Weiss said, crossing her arms. "A zombiefied bear."  
  
"I say it's impossible!" Ruby added. "It's got long teeth and thick fur and the worst breath in the world, probably-"  
  
"But on the other hand, consider _these_ guns!" Yang hiked up her sleeve and flexed her arm.  
  
Neptune grabbed his chin and squinted in a parody of a scientist. "Well..." He started, looking at Yang like he was sizing her up.  
  
"This is a stupid discussion," Blake said. "...But I think Yang has a good chance."  
  
"It depends on the environment, really," Sun offered.

"And the weapon," Ruby said.  
  
"And how mad Yang is," Sun continued.  
  
"Oh, I'd probably be... beary angry," Yang said.  
  
There was a slight pause during which everyone looked at her.  
  
"...That pun was unbearable," Blake said, speaking quickly as if embarrassed. She didn't need to be - Ruby giggled and the rest followed. Sun felt laughter rising from the pit of his stomach too, and after a short while, he wasn't even laughing at the pun - he was just laughing, laughing and being close to Neptune and surrounded by friends and warm and happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand only a lil epilogue to go! Should be up by the weekend. (edit: ahahahaha no. School happened. We'll see how it goes.)  
> I hope this wasn't too OOC.


	7. Epilogue - Ever onwards

"Why would anyone ever need a bird bath this big?"

"I don't know, Sun."

"No, really - Are people expecting bald eagles to land in their back yards? Have they become so obsessed with the bird bath as a status symbol that they're not asking if they should, but if they _can_?"

"Can you see any shovels?"

"...Shovels. Right." Sun sighed and turned away from the offending bird bath. "Whomever bought these are probably dead now anyway."

"That's the spirit."

Neptune carried a plastic bag in each hand as he edged his way past fallen shelves and useless garden decoration. The store had seen better days; a thick layer of dust covered the seeds and pet food that lined the walls alongside a multitude of other products meant for suburban gardeners instead of survivors of an apocalypse. Sun and Neptune had been crossing objects off of Neptune's small list around town for the past few hours, and now Sun did his best to find a simple shovel amidst a heap of garden scissors and gloves.

"Think someone looted them?" he asked, lifting a cardboard cut-out to check underneath it. There was nothing but sacks of gravel. If there was anything they didn't need, it was gravel.

"There has to be at least one," Neptune said.

"You found your stuff?” Sun asked. ”What kind of seeds did you get?"

"Vegetables, like they asked for. We're not going to grow flowers."

"I kinda wish we could," Sun admitted. He stepped over a bit of debris, broken glass crunching under his boots. He looked out the window as he walked by it and saw no zombies close enough that he worried about them. "I could be a proper boyfriend and give you flowers or... stupid stuff like that. You'd look great in a daisy crown."

"Ha, ha."

"I mea-" Sun almost fell, but he regained his balance in the last second, holding on to a shelf. "I mean it. Hey - there's something-" he began, pushing aside mini-rakes to withdraw a shovel. He didn't know much about shovels, but this one looked nice. He raised it triumphantly in the air.

"Oh, nice," Neptune said. "Bring it over here."

Sun did as asked and let Neptune inspect his find. It was soon crossed off of his list, now nothing but a bunch of black lines. They had everything they had been sent to find.

"Let's go!" Sun declared.

Neptune raised his hand for a high five and Sun didn't leave him hanging, the sound a bit too loud, really, but Sun was feeling pretty confident that he'd be able to take on any zombie that dared get in their way today. The two of them headed outside, getting their bearings again. There was still an hour, maybe less, until nightfall. Sun had his staff tied to his back and the shovel in his hand while Neptune carried the assortment of seeds, supplements and smaller tools in his bags. The sky above them was blue, but the clouds were getting thicker. There was rough weather on the horizon. 

 

They walked in the middle of the road, and Sun was guilty of losing track of the area around him and the dangers that might be lurking out there - instead, he watched Neptune and the way he rolled his shoulders when the bags became heavy for him to bear.

"Let me help with those," Sun offered, extending his hand. "Give me one of them."

He figured Neptune could see that he wasn't budging, giving him the one he had been holding in his right hand. And then, when his hand was empty, he reached out to hold Sun's - and Sun had no problem obliging. Neptune's hand was holding onto his and he was holding onto the fragile, slippery plastic, swinging it softly back and worth as they walked.

"You're gonna break it," Neptune said.

Sun slowed down, but he didn't stop. He looked at every window he passed by, unable to _not_ look at how he looked together with Neptune. If it wasn't for the backdrop, he could imagine that they were a couple coming back from a shopping trip. Any of the cars they walked past could have been theirs, any of the shops could have been filled with people who would have been watching and maybe Sun would have known some of them, would have introduced Neptune as "my boyfriend". The word seemed to belong to a simpler time when kids talked about boy- and girl-friends, back when there were parties and texting and hooking up. That was how it had been for Sun, at least. Not any of this slow growth, of gentle heat, of feeling like it was just the two of them in the whole world (only partly because they really were quite alone in the town).

"We could hot-wire a car," Sun suggested. "Or find the keys. Whatever. Just drive and get by with what we find in gas stations."

"See other towns," Neptune said. He seemed like he considered the thought for a long while as it gave him just a bit more spring in his step. "I've actually been talking with Ozpin. He says we need to get the cure out to other groups and, um, make sure it doesn't get lost with us - Ruby and her team are heading east in a couple of days. There's a large group that got in contact via radio. They're going to deliver the cure to them."

"Nice."

"He suggested - Well, I was thinking about it first I think - that you and I go somewhere too. It wouldn't have to be a long trip, but maybe it would sate your wanderlust."

"And we'd get privacy," Sun joked.

"He said that too. He even winked at me." Neptune shook his head. "It was awful."

Sun chuckled. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"But do you want to?"

"To go?" Sun stopped for a moment, looking into Neptune's eyes. "Yeah. With you."

"Then we're going to have to make arrangements."

"Sounds exciting."

Neptune rolled his eyes. "We're almost there."

"Before we get to the fence," Sun said, "Do you want to stay out a little longer, maybe?"

"Do you anything in mind or...?"

Sun shrugged. "We could watch the sunset. Roof?"

"That's your answer for everything. Get up high and don't look down."

"There's a fire escape over there," Sun pointed out. "We'd be high enough that zombies couldn't get to us."

Neptune's features softened up as he gave in, following Sun to the red brick house and to the metal fire escape that rattled as they walked. Sun let Neptune walk in the front. As they passed the second floor, he placed his hand fleetingly on Neptune's back in an attempt to remind him that he was there right behind him because he had noticed Neptune's fingers trembling just a bit.

"I'm okay," Neptune insisted, but Sun heard a sharp intake of breath when the other boy stepped out onto the roof where the edge separating them from the fall was only a couple inches tall. They walked on concrete, feeling wind that had been absent down in the street. Sun sat down next to an exhaust fan and felt the sun-warmed metal against his back. Neptune, the only one of them sensible enough to wear a proper jacket for the excursion, laid it down and sat on that, and then, side by side, they waited for the sun to set.

Or maybe they were just waiting on each other to make use of the privacy that was so hard to come by in the camp. All Sun knew was that when he leant in to kiss Neptune, his boyfriend - that word still tasted weird to him, too good to be true - wasted no time in answering every one of Sun's movements with one of his own, in opening his mouth and kissing Sun back. And then suddenly Neptune was straddling his waist and there were fingers trailing down his sides and Neptune's mouth on his neck and - 

"Didn't know you could be that aggressive," Sun joked.

Neptune drew back a bit, letting Sun see his adorable expression, the faint blush on his cheeks and the colour of his eyes all at once. "Neither did I," he said.

Sun took a deep breath. Whatever smell of rot and death that usually hung in the air was, at the glorious point in time, completely gone; all he noticed was Neptune with his scent of oil and old shampoo and the same cologne as ever. And all he saw was not dead bodies or ruins, but a road and a person who'd walk with him. He saw red appearing to the west - the colour of his scraped knuckles when their fingers entwined, the colour of Neptune's mouth when it met Sun's. The colours above and in them only grew in strength and Sun let himself be swept away, not regretting for one moment that he had jumped down to save an asshole with blue hair all those aeons ago.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up being sick so that's why this got so delayed! But now it is done. And now I'm free to go do something new, so I'm going to... write more seamonkeys fic I'm pretty sure. :V Thanks for reading!


End file.
